Coronavirus live updates April 21: Some public beach accesses reopen on the Grand Strand
Some Grand Strand public beach accesses will reopen today after South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster canceled executive orders that closed the accesses and some retail businesses.
The City of Myrtle Beach will keep public accesses and parking closed “for now,” while North Myrtle Beach will reopen its accesses at noon today. Horry County’s 22 beach accesses are now open following McMaster’s change of course on social distancing regulations.
Surfside Beach officials have decided to reopen beach accesses for nonstationary activity, like walking, jogging or riding bicycles, but parking is only allowed for those with decals.
Georgetown County and Pawleys Island will keep beach accesses closed. Here’s the latest.
Here’s the latest on the coronavirus in the Myrtle Beach area for April 21.
There has been one new case of the coronavirus confirmed in Horry County this week, with no deaths. Since mid March, the county has had at least 185 confirmed cases reported, according to the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control. Twelve coronavirus-related deaths have been reported in Horry County, according to DHEC.
State health officials reported just over 52 newly confirmed cases in Horry County last week, compared to about 70 the previous week, data shows.
In Horry County, DHEC predicts there are 1,321 total possible cases. There are 31,707 total possible cases in South Carolina, according to DHEC.
The number of cases in Georgetown County have reached 34, with two deaths, health officials said.
South Carolina has at least 4,439 confirmed cases as of Tuesday morning and 124 deaths across the state. There have been more than 41,000 people tested for the virus in South Carolina, DHEC reports.
Today’s takeaways:
- Horry County Schools’ WiFi school bus locations open today. Internet access will be available between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. Here are the locations.
- The South Carolina Forestry Commission lifted the statewide burning ban at 6 a.m. today.
- Where to give: Waccamaw Community Foundation and other local charities have raised more than $200,000 over the last two weeks to help with the coronavirus pandemic. Here’s the latest.
Wash your hands
Washing your hands and practicing social distancing can help prevent the spread of the coronavirus, health officials say. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends washing your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
