Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin releases statement following governor’s announcement

Columbia, S.C. (WOLO)– Following Governor Henry McMaster’s announcement that the mandated work-home order would be lifted Monday along with allowing restaurants to serve customers outdoors, Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin released the following statement:

“We would encourage people to continue to follow solid, data driven public health advice. When we see a true deceleration in the number of new cases over 14 days, it will then be clear that we’ve got our arms around this phase of the virus and should only then ease restrictions. Until then a serious and aggressive effort around testing and contact tracing should consume our efforts.”

At the city of Columbia, we will continue working on our efforts that have put millions of dollars back into our small businesses supported our first responders and addressed community needs like senior isolation and  food insecurity.”