Gov. Henry McMaster on Friday took his most dramatic step yet in response to the coronavirus, calling for a state of emergency a week after South Carolina’s first positive test.

McMaster’s declaration came after he faced increasing pressure to act. But it’s still more limited in scope than pronouncements made by leaders of other states, including fellow Republicans.

State government offices will remain open, as will all but two of the state’s school districts, McMaster announced.

“The past 48 hours have seen remarkable activity across our nation,” McMaster said. “Many South Carolinians are anxious and worried.”

He added: “Today, we have taken the best course of action for our state, for our people and for our future.”

Governors in at least 35 states declared emergencies before McMaster, including 16 who lead states with fewer known cases of the disease. As of Friday night, South Carolina had 13 presumed or confirmed cases. Many governors took action when their states' first cases were identified; some even preempted the coronavirus, declaring emergencies before their first case.

While local and state officials generally deferred to the governor's response to COVID-19, cracks in that wall of support emerged before McMaster’s decision.

Earlier Friday, Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin said the governor’s cautious approach was not enough to halt the spread of the infectious disease within the state. Health officials announced South Carolina’s first cases on March 6.

“Major sports organizations, scientists, hospitals, local governments and governors in other states are leading to help us deal with something that could affect us in potentially unknown proportions and could lead to catastrophic loss of life, and our governor is encouraging us to go about business as usual,” Benjamin, a Democrat and recent president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, said. “We need affirmative leadership that creates calm but also a sense of urgency, and we’re not getting that right now.”

McMaster’s announcement came as some of the nation's top health experts have pushed for drastic changes in the daily lives of Americans to help contain the spread of the highly contagious disease, which had infected more than 1,600 people nationally and killed 41 as of Friday night.

The World Health Organization on Wednesday declared COVID-19 a pandemic. President Donald Trump on Friday declared a national emergency.

The number of people presumed or confirmed to have the coronavirus in South Carolina rose to 13 on Friday, state epidemiologist Dr. Linda Bell said. Of those cases, 11 are from Kershaw and Lancaster counties. The cases are linked, she said.

Bell said the state did not have widespread transmission. As of Friday evening, 123 people had been tested throughout the state.

“At this time, it is recommended for the majority of South Carolinians to continue their daily routines,” she said, adding that the public should follow basic hygiene precautions like hand washing, covering coughs and staying home if sick.

Event organizers and institutions around the state were not willing to take the risk, despite state officials' assurances. Churches decided to move their services online, universities gave their students an extra week off around spring break and the Southeastern Conference banned athletes from even practicing for a month. A growing number of the Carolinas’ spring traditions were called off or delayed, including St. Patrick's Day events, the Masters golf tournament and the Lowcountry’s Cooper River Bridge Run, which was postponed for the first time in its 42-year history.

COVID-19, which stands for coronavirus disease 2019, can cause fever, cough and breathing trouble. Most people have mild symptoms, but some have developed severe conditions, which can be fatal.

Republican governors in Florida and Ohio on Thursday took actions ahead of McMaster, including recommending large events be called off or postponed, but not officially banning them.

McMaster on Friday announced that schools in Kershaw and Lancaster counties will be closed for 14 days. He directed the state’s Department of Health and Environmental Control to provide guidance to other school districts on whether they should close schools and for how long.

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McMaster also directed the state’s public health agency to restrict visitation to nursing homes and assisted living centers statewide, allowing visitors only for patients in end-of-life situations. His emergency order also triggered anti-price-gouging laws.

Before McMaster’s action, officials made public announcements to push the governor to do more.

Democratic Rep. Seth Rose of Columbia called for McMaster to close the state's K-12 schools for at least two weeks.

"The more proactive we are now to slow the spread of Covid-19 the less reactive we will have to be later," he posted on Twitter. "The time to act is now."

Lancaster Mayor Alston DeVenny said he did not understand McMaster’s public comments earlier in the week downplaying the severity of the outbreak while also requesting to spend $45 million in surplus funds to boost DHEC's response to it.

DeVenny also criticized the federal response to the virus and emphasized the importance of taking steps now to “flatten the curve” of infected patients.

“Science matters,” DeVenny added. “We need to pay attention to facts. Facts matter, still.”

Governors in other states have also been more aggressive on school closures.

One or more school districts had closed in at least 35 states by the time McMaster made his announcement, according to a database compiled by EdWeek.

By Friday night, at least 12 of them had gone further and closed schools statewide, including one, Ohio, which has as many cases as South Carolina, and two with fewer: New Mexico and West Virginia.

In Kentucky, which has about as many cases as South Carolina, Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, urged schools to close, a call nearly every district there was heeding.

At least 14 states have also banned large gatherings of people in a bid to slow the virus’s spread. Governors in another 11 states have urged people to avoid big events or large gatherings.

In South Carolina, by contrast, state officials continued to say there was no need to cancel events outside of Kershaw and Lancaster counties, though many have.

Benjamin, the Columbia mayor, said he spoke with McMaster before the city decided on Wednesday to postpone its St. Patrick’s Day event. They also discussed Camden's Carolina Cup horse race, another major state event that has since been canceled.

“He thought that business should go on as usual. I agreed with him that commerce is a significant priority for the state but that public health, life and safety was the ultimate priority,” Benjamin said. “We need him to treat this with the level of gravity it deserves.”

In the days leading up to the emergency announcement, McMaster emphasized the importance of preserving the state's economy and mitigating the loss to the tourism industry. He addressed the criticism of the timing of his declaration during Friday’s press conference.

"As more information came in and we learned more and were getting a better feel and understanding of the capacity of this illness, we started moving in that direction,” he said. “We want to act with precision and deliberate speed and not make quick decisions that are unnecessary that lead to panic or lack of understanding among the public.”