Surfside Beach joins Myrtle Beach in shutting down hotels, rentals amid coronavirus fears
Surfside Beach will join neighboring cities in restricting hotels and other accommodations services from allowing visitors to stay until May.
Similar to Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach, Surfside officials passed an ordinance Friday morning prohibiting short-term rentals starting Saturday through April 30. Accommodations for 29 days or less beginning 11 a.m. will be prohibited, with visitors currently checking in allowed to remain until the end of their existing reservation.
Accommodations would include, but are not limited to, hotels, motels, condo hotels, rental properties, inclusive of private management companies, HOA’s, Airbnb, and VRBO-style lodging.
Short-term rentals extended to government, hospital, health agency, law enforcement, military and other critical personnel actively responding to COVID-19 will be exempt from the ordinance. Those who violate the ordinance would be subject to a fine not exceeding $500, up to 30 days in jail or both.
Nearly two weeks after Horry County reported its first confirmed cases of coronavirus, the number has grown to 21 as of Thursday afternoon. South Carolina has reported 456 cases in 39 counties, according to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control.
There has been one death in Horry County due to the virus. The first case of the coronavirus in the Myrtle Beach area was confirmed March 14. South Carolina has had nine deaths.
DHEC projects the state will reach 2,657 cumulative cases by April 2 and 8,053 cases by May 2, though projected data is estimated and may change significantly due to various factors, the agency said.
