The Town of James Island continues to remain at OPCON Level 2 and in a state of emergency in response to COVID-19.
COVID-19 projections show that the peak resource need for South Carolina will be around April 24th. Therefore, residents should be overly cautious and recognize the worse of this virus for our area is yet to come.
Today's DHEC reports shows 122 cases in Charleston County, with 13 testing positive for COVID-19 on James Island (29412.) SCDHEC provides daily reports on the state's monitoring and testing of COVID-19. See the following link for updated from SCDHEC on COVID-19: SCDHEC COVID-19
Please stay at home. Avoid unnecessary trips. Prolonged close contact with a person infected by Covid-19 is risky. Persons infected can be contagious to others before exhibiting any symptoms.
All businesses remaining open should practice social distancing to protect both their employees and customers.
https://www.cdc.gov/…/commu…/guidance-business-response.html
The School District is making the following changes to the meal pick-up schedule beginning today Monday, March 30th: It will no longer run Monday thru Friday, but will be on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday between the hours of 11 am and 1 pm. 5 breakfasts and lunches will still be served. ADDITIONAL SCHOOL INFO: Charleston County School District is temporarily closed all schools thru April 30th. Charleston County School District will be offering a drive-thru "Grab & Go" Style Meal Service consisting of breakfast and lunch for students at 15 sites within the District. The site on James Island is Harborview Elementary School. The meal service will operate between the hours of 11 am - 1 pm Monday – Wed - Friday. For more information and a full list of meal sites and information on further updates on distance learning, please visit www.ccsdschools.com
All Charleston County Buildings will be closed to the public beginning March 27th, with the exception of the Courts which will remain open from 10 am to 2 pm until further notice.
The City of Charleston has issued a shelter-in place mandate for all residents and the closing of all non-essential businesses. Charleston County and the Town of James Island have not issued such an order. More information about the City of Charleston's emergency order and what businesses are open/closed can be found here: https://www.charleston-sc.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=820
Please see the attached link for some resources to help businesses navigate this challenging time:
Charleston Chamber Resource Page https://www.charlestonchamber.org/coronavirus-resources/…
CDC Guidance for Business Community https://www.cdc.gov/…/commu…/guidance-business-response.html
Low Country Local First
https://lowcountrylocalfirst.org/what-were-doing-to-help-o…/
On March 19, 2020, James Island Town Council adopted an emergency ordinance that deferred the Town's collection of hospitality taxes for 60 days due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. Businesses are asked to continue to collect taxes from patrons, but the businesses are not required to remit those monies at this time. Once collections resume you will be able to submit payments without penalty for the months deferred. Town Council also deferred enforcement of the plastics ban for 60 days.
Town Hall Operations – The Town Hall lobby is closed to the public. However, Town Hall is continuing to operate virtually via phone, email and thru dropbox operations. Many of our forms are available on our website at http://www.jamesislandsc.us/forms-and-documents and can be emailed into appropriate staff. Staff contact information can be found here: http://www.jamesislandsc.us/…/flyer_emergency-provision-of-…
The Town has closed access to its two parks; Pinckney Park and Dock Street Park. While residents are still free to walk within the parks practicing safe social distancing, use of the playground equipment is restricted until further notice. Charleston County Parks and Recreation and the City of Charleston have also closed its park system, except the boat landings remain open.
Charleston County has activated a help line you can call from 9 am to 5 pm with questions concerning the pandemic. That number is 1-843-746-3900.
Folly Beach Update: Effective by 5:00 p.m. Saturday March 28, the checkpoint for restricted access to the island will resume 24 hours per day. The checkpoint will be located at Little Oak Island Drive. Further, no new check-ins to short-term rentals will be permitted after 9:00 a.m. Sunday, March 29
Please see important information from Dominion Energy:
DESC has suspended all service disconnections for nonpayment.
Residential customers previously disconnected due to non-payment may contact DESC for assistance reconnecting service.
DESC will waive late fees and reconnection fees.
Customers may contact DESC Customer Service at 800-251-7234, and we encourage customers to use our digital tools and other resources for routine self-service and 24-7 online account access.
Customers can download the customer service app here: www.DominionEnergySC.com/app.
Those with questions about COVID-19 can call the DHEC Care Line at 1-855-472-3432. Staff is answering calls Monday – Friday, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
If you are experiencing symptoms, MUSC is offering free drive-thru testing at the West Ashley Citadel Mall. Please complete the information on MUSC telehealth to get an appointment before going to the drive-thru. MUSC Tele-health: https://campaigns.muschealth.org/virtual-care/index.html
The Town of James Island recommends citizens follow the guidelines from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
DHEC Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) homepage: https://www.scdhec.gov/…/…/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19
CDC Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) homepage: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html
Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) and Children: https://www.cdc.gov/…/201…/specific-groups/children-faq.html
Here are recommendations from the CDC and DHEC:
Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available use alcohol based sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
Practice social distancing of 6 ft.
Avoid contact with sick people
Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth
Stay at home when you are sick
Cough into your elbow; cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue then throw it in the trash
Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
The Town remains vigilant in monitoring Coronavirus/COVID-19 and its continuing impact on our region by making every effort to educate our staff and the public. Updates will be released and posted to the Town's website at www.jamesislandsc.us, the Town's social media platforms, and distributed to our email distribution list. Send an email to info@jamesislandsc.us to subscribe to our weekly meeting notifications and news releases.