Gov. Henry McMaster plans to issue a new state of emergency order on Monday, saying the widespread threat of the coronavirus remains too high for such a restriction to be lifted.

“We’re not out of this yet. We went into this in a smart way with targeted hotspots, so we do not have the burden that some other states have, but we’re still facing a very serious disease and contagion,” McMaster told reporters Sunday in Greenville.

State law only allows the mandate to be in effect for 15 days. The work-or-stay home order will remain in place, but also could be lifted prior to that deadline.

“All of the policies that have been adopted have been to enforce and encourage social distancing,” McMaster said. “If we’re smart, we can come out of it quickly, but we must do so safely.”

South Carolinians shouldn’t expect a large scale reopening of the economy anytime soon, McMaster said. Last week, the governor allowed retail stores to resume operations, abiding by capacity restrictions.

“We must realize that the disease is here,” McMaster said. “We have to be very careful.”

McMaster said that a Thursday meeting of AccelerateSC, his coronavirus economic advisory team, will help determine when and how South Carolina reopens for business.

“We are in a deep study reviewing best practices, innovations from other cities, and we’re in a position to use what we’ve learned and what we’re learning through AccelerateSC to see that South Carolina comes back out on top,” McMaster said.

Federal lawmakers approved a new round of small business loan funds, authorizing more than $400 billion that becomes available this week.

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McMaster and U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said the cash is only a small part of what’s needed for a full economic recovery.

“We will use that money wisely. Part of AccelerateSC’s job is going to be to determine exactly what the best way is to use that funding consistently with the guidelines that come from the legislation itself,” McMaster said.

Graham echoed his words.

“I’m all for helping state and local governments that have been hit hard by coronavirus, but (U.S. Senate Majority Leader) Mitch McConnell’s concern is some of the money that we appropriate in the future will go to things unrelated to coronavirus. I share that concern,” Graham said. “We just can’t keep printing money forever, but I trust that whatever we give Gov. McMaster, it’s going to be spent the way it should be spent.”

State officials announced 237 new cases of the virus on Sunday afternoon along with eight additional deaths. South Carolina now has 5,490 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 174 reported deaths, according to the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.

The deceased patients include six elderly individuals from Clarendon, Darlington, Greenville and Richland counties, as well as two middle-aged individuals from Colleton and Greenville counties. DHEC did not say whether the individuals had underlying health conditions.

As of Sunday, more than 50,000 people had been tested in the Palmetto State.

The new cases include 50 new cases in Richland County, 43 new cases in Greenville County and 10 new cases in Charleston County.