The main decrease in attendance, however, is directly linked to the closure of the site for four months because of the pandemic. Fort Sumter and other National Parks in South Carolina were closed on March 18 and Fort Sumter didn't reopen to guests until the beginning of June.
The only way to get to Fort Sumter is by the boat shuttles which had their trips cut back to five trips a day with 142 visitors because of social distancing. The boat company doing this, Spirit Line Cruises, has an exclusive deal with the NPS to provide the trips to the fort. They have installed hand sanitizing stations on their ships and boarding areas.
But, another problem causing the attendance drops would be the racial unrest, riots, burnings and attacks on Confederate monuments stemming from the killing of George Floyd in Minnesota. The so-called "Woke" movement.
Downtown Charleston has been the scene of numerous confrontations and a destructive night of rioting with vandalism in late May.
--Old B-R'er
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