charleston sc

SC Aquarium Offering Free Admission For Health Care Workers

In order to honor health care workers that have fought throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the South Carolina Aquarium has begun a “Healthcare Heroes Month”. Employees of Roper St. Francis, Trident Medical Center, East Cooper Medical Center, and MUSC will receive free admission from Aug. 17 – Sept. 13.

As a means of reserving your ticket, healthcare workers can call (843) 557-3474. Upon the arrival of your designated entry time, proof of employment must be provided at the admissions gate. Friends and family of healthcare workers do not apply for free entry. Those who do not can reserve a ticket here.

While SC continues to fight against Coronavirus, the South Carolina Aquarium will be working at limited capacity. Tickets must be purchased online (or via phone). Face masks are also required for all those entering the building ages 3 and up. Safety is a top priority at the Aquarium, as the staff wants to offer assurance to all guests. Hand sanitizing stations are available throughout the building, and elevator access is limited to one family at a time. For more specific guidelines, please visit the SC website.

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Rabid Bat Cases Confirmed In Charleston County

Confirmed by the Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC), a bat near downtown Charleston, SC has tested positive for rabies. As of now, only two humans risk exposure to the disease. The animal was originally discovered near Ashley Avenue and Race Street.

The bat became a confirmed case of rabies on Aug 1 after testing began on July 31. Those with any inclination of exposure are urged to wash any part of their body that may have been in contact with saliva or neural tissue before seeking medical attention. Exposure ranges from bites, scratches to direct contact with any of the infected animal’s body fluids.

“Although bats can carry rabies, not every bat is infected with the virus. Bats are an important part of South Carolina’s ecosystems and deserve a healthy degree of respect just like all wild animals,” explained David Vaughan, Director of DHEC’s Onsite Waterwaste, Rabies Prevention, and Enforcement Division. “People don’t always realize they’ve been bitten since bat teeth are tiny and bites are easy to overlook.”

If you awake to find a bat in a room where people have been asleep or unattended, it’s important to safely trap the animal in a sealed container without touching it. Once a bat is released, it is no longer able to be tested for the disease.

Those with any inclination of exposure are urged to call the DHEC’s Environmental Affairs Charleston office at (843) 953-0150 during business hours of 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday. To report an exposure outside of normal office hours, call the DHEC after-hours service number at (888) 847-0902.

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Calhoun Statue in Charleston to be Relocated

Many civil rights groups spoke out on the fifth anniversary of the Mother Emmanuel shooting. They demanded the removal of the John C. Calhoun statue from Marion Square. Calhoun was a supporter of slavery and a former vice president of the United States.

The 115-ft statue is protected by The Heritage Act, a law sheltering state monuments. Because the memorial is owned by The City of Charleston and falls under The Heritage Act, it takes a two-thirds vote of the state legislature to authorize its removal.

On June 17th, Mayor John Tecklenburg called for the relocation of the statue to a local museum. “Well folks, this is not a war memorial,” he said. “By [removing the statue] I believe we bring peace.”

President and CEO of the International African American Museum, Michael B. Moore, agrees the statue should come down. “We’re saying that the confederacy and all that it stood for, of dehumanizing people of African descent, of enslaving them, we’re saying that that’s okay and the reality is that that’s not okay,” said Moore.

Protests at the base of the statue called for its removal while some vandalized it. At the Mayor’s live press conference he announced officially that the Calhoun monument is to be relocated to a Charleston museum.