South Carolina's largest labor council is speaking out, asking that COVID-19 precautions be required for business and manufacturing around the state.
"This rush to open business simply indicates that the profit is more important than people," says Brett Bursey, director of the SC Progressive Network.
He along with the SC NAACP president, and the president of AFL-CIO, spoke out about their concerns with reopening businesses around the state without the proper safety protocols.
"I think there was a failure to initially establish protocols, monitoring and adjusting things that needed to be adjusted throughout this," says Brenda Murphy, president of the SC NAACP. "It was just, 'ok, we're going to reopen, this is what we are going to do,' and that's why people are still getting sick."
"There needs to be an executive order or a law passed by the general assembly that would require any businesses that are open and serving the public to follow the CDC guidelines," says Bursey. "Meaning that if it says mask, if it says separation, that's what you do."
However, Governor Henry McMaster has been vocal about not putting mandates on businesses.
He spoke about it in a press conference earlier this week.
"We do not have enough police officers to go around the state and enforce mandates," says McMaster. "They may walk in and everyone puts a mask on and then they walk in and they take it off. It's up to the people to determine what kind of precautions need to be followed."
Charles Brave, president of the AFL-CIO, the state's largest labor union, says some of the state's funding from the CARES Act should go to workers who are putting themselves at risk for their employment.
He was also displeased that workers weren't a voice on the AccelerateSC task force in may.
"Some of our even union members have yet to have a dime of unemployment, not a stimulus check, none of that," says Brave.
He says something has to change before a potential next wave of the virus.
"We haven't even started the conversation yet on what will take place the second time around, because there's going to be a second time around."
Governor McMaster has asked that $17 million of the state's CARES Act funding be used for the creation of a 28-day state stockpile of personal protective equipment (PPE). However, that equipment is for front-line health workers, and first responders of state and local governments.
Businesses in need of PPE can go to SCCovid19.org for help.