South Carolina orders residents to stay at home during coronavirus pandemic

• South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster issued an executive order Monday mandating that residents must stay at home except for essential reasons.
• The order goes into effect Tuesday at 5:00 p.m.
• "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," the order stated.

CLEVELAND, OH - JULY 19: Lt. Gov. of South Carolina, Henry McMaster delivers a speech during the start of the second day of the Republican National Convention on July 19, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. An estimated 50,000 people are expected in Cleveland, including hundreds of protesters and members of the media. The four-day Republican National Convention kicked off on July 18. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Alex Wong | Getty Images News | Getty Images

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster issued an executive order Monday mandating that residents must stay at home except for essential reasons. The order goes into effect Tuesday at 5:00 p.m.

"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," the order stated.

People will still be able to leave their homes to engage in exercise, obtain essential supplies such as food or medicine and care for family members.

McMaster also ordered the closure of nonessential businesses such as night clubs, fitness centers and clothing retailers. 

South Carolina was one of the few remaining states to not have a stay-at-home order, advisory or directive in place. States heavily impacted by coronavirus such as New York, New Jersey, Washington and California, issued stay-at-home orders in March.

South Carolina currently has 2,049 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.