Gov. Henry McMaster Orders Non-Essential Businesses Closed Throughout S.C.

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March 31, 2020

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Governor Henry McMaster today issued Executive Order 2020-17, which orders the closure of nonessential businesses, as defined by the executive order, throughout the state in order to combat the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

The businesses that will be closed as a result of the governor's executive order are as follows:

 Entertainment venues and facilities as follows:

  • Night clubs
  • Bowling alleys
  • Arcades
  • Concert venues
  • Theaters, auditoriums, and performing arts centers
  • Tourist attractions (including museums, aquariums, and planetariums)
  • Racetracks
  • Indoor children’s play areas (excluding daycare facilities)
  • Adult entertainment venues
  • Bingo halls
  • Venues operated by social clubs

Recreational and athletic facilities and activities as follows:

  • Fitness and exercise centers and commercial gyms
  • Spas and public or commercial swimming pools
  • Group exercise facilities, to include yoga, barre, and spin studios or facilities
  • Spectator sports
  • Sports that involve interaction with another person in close proximity and within less than six (6) feet of another person
  • Activities that require the use of shared sporting apparatus and equipment
  • Activities on commercial or public playground equipment 

Close-contact service providers as follows:

  • Barber shops
  • Hair salons
  • Waxing salons
  • Threading salons
  • Nail salons and spas
  • Body-art facilities and tattoo services
  • Tanning salons
  • Massage-therapy establishments and massage services

Clarification Assistance Provided by the South Carolina Department of Commerce:

The South Carolina Department of Commerce provides guidance for nonessential businesses on their website. If a business has a question as to whether they qualify as essential, they should complete the Essential Business Clarification form. Questions can also be sent to covid19sc@sccommerce.com, or business representatives can call 803-734-2873. A team from South Carolina Department of Commerce will review the business’s request for clarification, and the business will receive a response with their determination, essential or nonessential, within 24 hours. If a business is not explicitly addressed in the governor's executive order, the business should continue normal operations until a determination is made.