This article has been updated to add additional context to comments by Skylor Hoffman.
Mayor Knox White has asked for state law enforcement to help Greenville police enforce COVID-19 rules on mask wearing, alcohol consumption and capacity limits on New Year s Eve a move that comes as hospital beds across the Upstate fill and frontline workers are strained.
During a press conference Tuesday afternoon, after plans for several parties circulated on social media, White and officials from the Greenville Police Department and the area s largest hospital systems called on people not to attend New Year s Eve parties with people from outside their households.
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COLUMBIA, S.C. Beleaguered city and hospital leaders in the region of South Carolina hardest hit by the coronavirus rebuked residents who plan to party in large crowds for New Year s Eve as completely full hospitals have already reached a breaking point Tuesday.
In the Upstate, where COVID-19 infection rates continue to outpace every other part of South Carolina, some event organizers are still selling tickets to New Year s Eve celebrations. Greenville officials said Tuesday they had received multiple complaints from residents about the planned festivities, adding that city has denied several requests for special permits to hold large events.
Greenville law enforcement officials say they will be patrolling downtown on New Year’s Eve to ensure people and businesses are complying with state regulations. Though Gov. Henry McMaster has lifted most of the restrictions he implemented since the start of the outbreak, there remains a ban on alcohol sales in restaurants and bars after 11 p.m.
There is also an executive order that caps the size of gatherings to 250 people or 50% of regular occupancy limits, though the Department of Commerce can approve exceptions.
The governor’s office released a statement Tuesday defending how the state has kept businesses open “due to the reasonable and measured actions that have been taken.”