By Mindy Lucas

Since Memorial Day weekend, South Carolina has seen a record number of new coronavirus cases causing the state’s health officials to issue new warnings about the importance of continued social distancing.

From a record weekend that saw more than 300 cases each day – on May 29, May 30 and May 31 – to days which recently saw new records of more than 500 cases each – June 6 and June 8 – the spike in cases is causing concern among officials.

“The more people you expose yourself to, the more you multiply your risk of being exposed to the virus,” said Dr. Linda Bell, state epidemiologist, in a news release issued June 3.

As expected, part of the increase in COVID-19 cases is likely a result of increased testing efforts across the state, the release stated.

But other factors such as gatherings at which people fail to practice safety measures, play a part as well, the agency admitted.

“There are those who are finding ways to hold graduations and open businesses safely through careful planning and attention to crowd density and safety measures such as wearing masks,” Bell said. “When we don’t do those things, we can put ourselves and others at risk, and case counts will rise.”

The number of deaths are also climbing.

The increased numbers also have&nbsp;health officials going back over familiar ground.

To reduce the spread, everyone should continue to:

Maintain social distancing by staying at least 6 feet away from others.

Wear a cloth mask that covers your nose and mouth while in public.

Avoid touching frequently touched items.

Regularly wash your hands.

Monitor for symptoms and stay home when sick.

Despite these continued warnings, some of the state’s top leaders have said it’s up to residents to control the spread of the disease.

“We can’t have an epidemiologist, a police officer, and a mama and a daddy following everybody around reminding them what they’re supposed to do. The virus is still here. It’s just as deadly as it was before, and it can be fatal ...,” said Gov. Henry McMaster.

However, health officials have said that means residents will need to take steps “every day” to reduce exposure.

“The more that South Carolinians take these necessary steps every day to reduce exposures, the more we can expect to see data trends begin to decrease, telling us that COVID-19 transmission is slowing across the state,” the DHEC release stated.

<strong>The Last Week</strong>

Monday, June 8

New S.C. Cases: 542*

S.C. deaths: 11

New Beaufort Co. Cases: 13

Beaufort Co. deaths: 0

*Record high

Sunday, June 7

New S.C. Cases: 390

S.C. deaths: 1

New Beaufort Co. Cases: 9

Beaufort Co. deaths: 0

Saturday, June 6

New S.C. Cases: 512*

S.C. deaths: 7

New Beaufort Co. Cases: 6

Beaufort Co. deaths: 0

*Record high (since broken)

Friday, June 5

New S.C. Cases: 447*

S.C. deaths: 13

New Beaufort Co. Cases: 11

Beaufort Co. deaths: 0

*Record high (since broken)

Thursday, June 4

New S.C. Cases: 361

S.C. deaths: 7

New Beaufort Co. Cases: 5

Beaufort Co. deaths: 0

Wednesday, June 3

New S.C. Cases: 235

S.C. deaths: 17

New Beaufort Co. Cases: 3

Beaufort Co. deaths: 0

Tuesday, June 2

New S.C. Cases: 285

S.C. deaths: 1

New Beaufort Co. Cases: 9

Beaufort Co. deaths: 0