CCSD, DHEC host COVID testing clinic before schools re-open

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – COVID cases are on the rise as many prepare to return to school, and Sunday, Charleston County School District (CCSD) partnered with the Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) to host a COVID testing clinic at Burke High School.

The rise in COVID cases has many parents worried as they prepare to send their children back to the classroom.

“Obviously, it’s a concern,” Joy Brown, a parent of CCSD students, said. “We’ve been really careful up until now. I think it was expected that there would be a slight rise, but it’s probably more than we expected.”

Several parents at Sunday’s clinic had their children tested simply as a safety measure.

“It really is more of a precaution before we go back into the school to make sure that they’re safe,” Brown said.

Brown agrees with CCSD’s temporary mask mandate, after DHEC reported a record 8,882 cases on New Year’s Eve.

“I mean, everybody’s been on vacation,” she said. “Everybody’s enjoyed their break, so we just want to make sure we can mitigate the COVID cases as much as possible. So, I think a temporary mandate is a good idea.”

She says the mandate should be upheld as long as COVID numbers remain high.

“I would like to see it as long as the metrics stay in the higher categories,” Brown said.

Even with the surge, Brown remains optimistic.

“Hopefully, the surge will be a shorter duration than maybe the Delta was even,” she said. “I’m really hopeful. I’m hopeful. I’m hopeful.”

On Monday, January 3^rd, there will be more testing from 12:00-7:00 p.m. at Laing Middle School, Cooper River Center for Advanced Studies and West Ashley Center for Advanced Studies.