Lexington remains one of the state’s safer counties.

But Gov. Henry McMaster cautions you not to see this as an invitation to take chances with your health.

The governor has restricted travel to work, exercise, family visits or obtain food, medicine or other supplies.

State health officials foresee the worst as yet to come as the disease peaks.

Next door Richland County has had 224 cases.

The Two Notch Road area has had the highest number of reported cases with 34, bringing the total to 42.

Lexington’s 29072 zip code has 15 reported cases.

South and east of Lexington in zip code 29073, another 12 cases were reported, bringing the total to 14.

Governor’s orders

State health officials reluctantly released all this on orders from the governor.

The Department of Health & Environmental Control had initially refused to release county-by-county data on numbers, ages and gender, citing SC privacy laws.

A reading of the law does not suggest that.

McMaster ordered DHEC to reverse itself.

“We want the people to know what we face but ... it could lead to a false sense of security,” McMaster said.

The governor has resisted calls from Cayce and other communities to require all but emergency and health personnel to stay at home.

He did expand the number of non-essential businesses ordered to close.

He also encouraged lawmakers to go back to work this week to take care of important legislative matters.

Better news

All virus news developments were not grim.

Lexington Medical Center reports it has a triage tent to separate virus cases from other emergency cases.

Unlike overwhelmed hospitals elsewhere, LMC still has available beds for new virus cases, spokesperson Jennifer Wilson said.

State officials have a 3-tier plan to make 9,000 hospital beds available if needed.

More than 90% of all SC virus tests are negative.

DHEC reported more than 18,000 have been tested and more than 16,000 did not have the virus.