COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) – A citywide curfew goes into effect Wednesday night in South Carolina’s capital, Columbia, to help fight the spread of the new coronavirus in the state
The Columbia City Council voted Tuesday to impose the restrictions from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m., The State reported.
The curfew comes as the total number of state cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, rose by 13 on Wednesday to 60, according to the state Department of Health and Environmental Control.
Kerhsaw County has 25 of the cases, Beaufort County has six, Horry County reports five cases and Charleston, Lexington and Richland counties report four, DHEC said in a statement. One man has died from the new virus strain in the state.
Columbia established a similar curfew after the 2015 flood, Mayor Steve Benjamin said. People going to work or those needing medical treatment will be excluded from the restrictions. The curfew will expire after 61 days unless the council repeals it before then.