With visitors already lured to Myrtle Beach, will new CDC travel guidelines change tourism?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now says it’s safe for fully vaccinated Americans to travel.
Myrtle Beach’s visitors weren’t waiting for that green light, though.
Thousands have been flooding into the Grand Strand this spring after a cold, wet winter combined with a December coronavirus surge to scare off most tourists for January and February.
The visitors caused hotel and vacation rental occupancy to skyrocket weeks ago. They also overwhelmed businesses facing severe worker shortages, due in part to travel restrictions preventing international workers from coming to the Grand Strand.
The region has seen hotel occupancy jump from 39% the week of Feb. 28 to 51% the week of March 7 to 59% the week of March 14 as more visitors rushed to the beach. Hotel occupancy declined slightly last week, to 55%, but vacation rental occupancy never stopped increasing, going from 34% on Feb. 28 to 46% last week.
The CDC’s announcement comes just one day after the city of Myrtle Beach got rid of its requirement that people wear masks when inside businesses, including restaurants. The CDC still recommends mask wearing in public places. This latest news will likely contribute to the growing levels of confidence in travelers that tourism leaders have said for months would be necessary for travel to fully recover.
Myrtle Beach, though, stands particularly poised to benefit from this news, as vacation destinations have often been the first to see tourists return, and the first to recover, throughout the pandemic.
Here are the full details of the new recommendations for travel from the CDC.
- Fully vaccinated travelers are less likely to get and spread COVID-19.
- People who are fully vaccinated with an FDA-authorized vaccine can travel safely within the United States:
- Fully vaccinated travelers do not need to get tested before or after travel unless their destination requires it
- Fully vaccinated travelers do not need to self-quarantine
- Fully vaccinated travelers should still follow CDC’s recommendations for traveling safely including:
- Wear a mask over your nose and mouth
- Stay 6 feet from others and avoid crowds
- Wash your hands often or use hand sanitizer
However, the CDC says people should not travel until they are fully vaccinated, which typically includes a two week waiting period after receiving the final dose.
As of Friday morning, South Carolina’s health department reports that 31.4% of residents have received at least one vaccine and 17.1% of the state has completed the vaccination regimen. Finished vaccinations includes both people who have received both doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines as well as people who received one shot of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
This story was originally published April 2, 2021 at 12:05 PM.
