State of the county: Colleton has one recovered case

Colleton County officials have been notified of 10 total cases of COVID-19 in Colleton County — but only nine current cases, as one of the cases in Walterboro (29488) has recovered.
DHEC has notified the county that four of these cases of COVID-19 are in Walterboro, one in Islandton (29929) two of the cases are in Ruffin (29475) and two cases are in Cottageville (29435). DHEC is not providing any additional information.
There were originally two cases in Islandton, but one of those cases has been allocated to another county, according to DHEC.
The zip code data for the state is available on DHEC’s COVID-19 webpage, specifically on the Testing & SC Data page, underneath the county map. This can be found by following the link below.
https://www.scdhec.gov/infectious-diseases/viruses/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/monitoring-testing-covid-19
It’s important to note that there are likely many more people in the community who have this virus and have never been tested. Also, DHEC isn’t notified when individuals are no longer infectious (i.e., they are well), and as a result, these numbers likely include people who have recovered and no longer pose a risk to others.
Colleton County residents are urged to follow the guidance of Governor McMaster and the recommendations of the CDC. This information can be accessed at colletoncounty.org/coronavirus.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS THURSDAY
The Colleton County Fire-Rescue Emergency Management Division, the Colleton County Sheriff’s Office and the Walterboro Police Department will be hosting a live question and answer session on Thursday, April 9th at 1:30 PM. Please use the link below to submit questions before Thursday or during the live stream.
http://colletonfire.com/question

MCMASTER’S EXECUTIVE ORDERS
If you have questions regarding Governor McMaster’s executive orders and how they relate to your business, please contact the South Carolina Department of Commerce by email at covid19sc@sccommerce.com or by phone at 843-734-2873.
Governor McMaster’s latest Executive Order states the following:
“I hereby order and direct that effective Tuesday April 7 at 5 p.m., any and all residents and visitors of the State of South Carolina are required to limit social interaction, practice “social distancing” in accordance with CDC guidance, and take every possible precaution to avoid potential exposure to, and to slow the spread of, COVID-19, and shall limit their movements outside of their home, place of residence, or current place of abode (collectively, “residence”), except as allowed by this Order, for purposes of engaging in Essential Business, Essential Activities, or Critical Infrastructure Operations, as set forth below and as such terms are further defined herein.”
Governor Henry McMaster’s Executive Orders related to the COVID-19 Pandemic can be accessed by following the link below.
https://governor.sc.gov/executive-branch/executive-orders

Colleton County Magistrate Court

Please be advised that by Order of the Chief Justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court dated April 3, all Magistrate Court jury trials, traffic court, criminal court, civil court and evictions and roll calls are canceled until further notice to stem the spread of Coronavirus.
The Magistrate’s Court will continue to accept civil filings but is not scheduling hearings unless they are an emergency.
All filings with the appropriate fees can be dropped off at the Drop Box located at the main entrance to the Magistrate Court, 40 Klein St., Walterboro, between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. Also, all documents can still be submitted by mail to Colleton County Magistrate Court, P.O. Box 1732, Walterboro, S.C. 29488.
Per order of the South Carolina Supreme Court, all filings and documents received by the Magistrate Office will be quarantined for 48 hours before staff may process them. Make sure to enclose a stamped/self-addressed envelope for a receipt and clocked copies. Receipts and any paperwork will be mailed once completed.

Civil/Traffic Court
Staff is available by phone to answer any questions during office hours at (843) 549-1122 for Civil Court or (843) 549-1140 for Traffic Court. While the doors are locked in accordance with the county’s emergency protocols, staff is accessible by phone during regular office hours of 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Fine payments
The Magistrate’s Court will also continue to accept fine payments and is encouraging the use of debit/credit cards by paying online with a convenience fee added at www.colletoncounty.org. If you cannot pay online, we will accept payment in the form of money orders by mail addressed to Colleton County Magistrate Court, P.O. Box 1732, Walterboro, S.C. 29488.
NOTE: Mailed payments will be receipted after the 48-hour quarantine period. Please remember all online payments require up to three business days to be processed.

Bond Court
Bond Court will be conducted daily at 10 a.m. through video conferencing. Please contact the court at least one hour prior to the scheduled time to receive instructions on how to view the proceedings.

Court Dates
At this time, the Magistrate’s Court is unable to reschedule court dates. When court dates are rescheduled, individuals will receive a written Magistrate Court Summons hearing notice with the new court date, in the mail, at the address the court has on file. In the meantime, if an individual moves or changes their mailing address, it is their responsibility to notify the court immediately and provide the new mailing address. Failure to provide the new mailing address to the court could result in a trial being held in their absence.

For additional information regarding county office closures, please see previous press releases (https://www.colletoncounty.org/Data/Sites/1/media/covid-19/colleton-county-covid-19-update-3-17-2020.pdf or https://www.colletoncounty.org/Data/Sites/1/media/covid-19/covid-19-3-30-2020.pdf), which can be found at colletoncounty.org/coronavirus, or by using the email addresses and phone numbers on the county’s website at https://colletoncounty.org/department-services.
If you do not have access to the county’s website, please call 843-549-5221.