Current News Assignment week 12

S.C hospitality industry braces for difficult months ahead as many have already cut staff

After Gov. Henry McMaster’s order to close non-essential businesses beginning April 1, many areas of the state have become ghost towns. Many hotel owners in downtown Columbia said that they are having to cut staff because of little occupancy. “The last few weeks have been upsetting. The hotel saw the number of guests drop to as low as zero some nights,” Jennifer Bolling, the Chief Marketing Officer for Lexington Hospitality and ALOFT Manager, said.

UofSC to issue student refunds after campus closure caused by coronavirus

The University of South Carolina will issue refunds to students that paid for meal plans, parking permits, and on-campus housing for the spring semester. Tuition, academic fees and student support fees are not refundable because classes are still happening online. These refunds will begin from March 16, the day UofSC closed to students because of the outbreak.

S.C. seamstresses sew gowns for nurses and doctors to help fill shortage.

Victoria Fleischer and her team of eight seamstresses have begun making gowns for nurses and doctors. The group has made 125 gowns since Friday and are utilizing the materials that other businesses and community members have given them. These materials include bedsheets to make the gowns, as well as elastic and velcro.