COLUMBIA, S.C. — Dr. Linda Bell, South Carolina’s epidemiologist, has served as the face of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control since the coronavirus pandemic began in March. But in internal emails between Dr. Bell and her DHEC colleagues, obtained by News19 under the South Carolina open records law, Bell wishes she was more outspoken when Gov. Henry McMaster reopened restaurants in May.
In an email written on June 21, Dr. Bell says she’s disappointed with the Governor’s spokesman, Brian Symmes, for saying she did not oppose Governor McMaster’s decision because she was standing next to him at the press conference.
Bell writes in the email,
“I have avoided openly conflicting with the governor by skirting questions from the media when asked if I agreed with his position. The governor’s staff are also somewhat manipulative in the meetings that I’ve been allowed to attend prior to the press briefings. I will not “stand next to the governor” anymore without speaking to what science tells us is the right thing to do…”
Brian Symmes responds in a statement to News19 saying in part,
“Dr. Bell’s perspective and expertise has been – and continues to be – an important component of this process. But we have to remember that the governor’s scope of responsibilities and considerations is vastly different from that of our public health experts, who rightly have a more narrow focus.”
Dr. Bell also says in the June 21 email,
“Not speaking out more strongly from a policy perspective is one of the reasons that South Carolina is now among the states with the worst outlook. I’m responsible for any detrimental affect my statements or my omissions may have for the public health and I need to fix that.”
Then on June 25, Dr. Bell writes,
“…I feel a need for stronger statements from DHEC about what we need if we are to get our disease rates under control. I don’t want to continue to walk this fine line as more and more lives are at risk.”
Governor McMaster addressed Dr. Bells statements this week while in Greenville:
"Our job is to see that we chart the right path. And there’s a lot of collaboration, a lot of debate that goes into that, but I believe the record is showing that we have charted the right path in South Carolina with our deliberate, careful steps forward - both in restricting business activity and opening business activity."
McMaster also assured there was no tension between him and the state epidemiologist.
News of the emails was first reported in The State newspaper.