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South Carolina to reopen attractions; Clemson plans in-person classes

ROCK HILL, S.C. — Clemson University plans to hold in-person classes in the fall but synchronize them with online instruction. University officials said Wednesday that means learning won’t be disrupted if a student is infected with COVID-19 or a second wave of infections closes campus.

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School leaders didn’t provide specifics on their plans in an online presentation to university trustees. The University of South Carolina announced a return to in-person classes in the fall earlier this week.

Also Wednesday, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster announced he is allowing mini golf, go-kart tracks, museums and amusement parks to reopen in time for the Memorial Day weekend. Guidelines for attraction facilities can be found here and on the AccelerateSC website, along with guidelines for all recently re-opened businesses.

Examples of attraction facilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Zoos
  • Museums
  • Aquariums
  • Planetariums
  • Historic buildings and sites
  • Waterparks
  • Amusement park rides
  • Go-Kart tracks
  • Bingo facilities
  • Miniature golf facilities

Governor McMaster also announced that youth and adult sports leagues will be allowed to begin practicing on May 30, with competitive play resuming on June 15. Specific guidelines, created by the “Response” component of AccelerateSC, can be found here.

South Carolina salons open with limits and restrictions

Salons and barbershops have been allowed to be open since Monday in South Carolina. Clients will see new rules and restrictions in place at many of them when they visit.

Bella Cole Salon in Rock Hill was booked, and there’s a waiting list more than 30 people.

Salons have been closed for two months as states acted to limit close contact as COVID-19 began spreading.

Shannon Wilson Jones is a stylist at the salon where the staff members now wearing masks. She said there’s a lot to reopening that type of business.

"A lot of sanitation. Making sure we don't have clients overlapping one another is very important," she said.

Salons must limit customers and interaction between customers, too. Jones said that's not easy in a friendly place, such as salons.

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Still, the process to get a haircut is different and requires cooperation from each client.

All clients must wear a mask or they aren’t allowed into the salon. They ask each person with an appointment to stay in their car when they arrive and call first before entering.

Once inside, each client must first wash their hands before being seated with a stylist.

Customers are separated since they are not being seated in the waiting area.

There are no magazines left out for customers, and they aren't serving anyone water. Chairs with dryer attachments don't have multiple people using them.

Everything is also wiped down when clients leave.

Salons have already been doing a lot of what phase two regulations highlight before the pandemic.

Employees at the salon are prepared to operate this way as long as they need to.

"We hope that things are gonna ease up a little bit," Jones said. "The mask has been the most difficult thing, the most uncomfortable thing for me, particularly."

They’re glad to see clients again, and those who’ve gone far too long without a trim are glad to be back.

There’s some inconvenience of course, but they’re working to treat people as they always have while protecting them, too.