<strong>From staff reports</strong>

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced in an email Tuesday afternoon that he had been in contact with someone who has since tested positive for COVID-19. As a result, Wilson announced he will quarantine himself and work from home for the next 14 days.

Wilson says he feels fine and has no symptoms but is taking this precaution to comply with CDC guidelines on COVID-19, and he wants to encourage everyone to do the same.

Wilson’s announcement comes as the nation is experiencing a surge in new cases of coronavirus, as well as deaths as a result.

According to the New York Times, there has been an average of 155,442 cases per day over the past week, an increase of 82 percent from the average two weeks earlier.

For the first time since August, the U.S. is averaging more than 1,000 deaths per day from the virus.

A little less than two weeks ago, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster's office said it has no plans to enact any new statewide restrictions.

State health officials have warned that South Carolina, which does not have a statewide mask mandate, could be in the midst of a fall surge.

Beaufort County – as well as the municipalities of Beaufort, Port Royal, Bluffton and Hilton Head – still have mask ordinances in place.