‘It’s a shock’: Tourism season kicks off in the Myrtle Beach area despite COVID-19 outbreak
Driving down Ocean Boulevard Saturday afternoon you’d never know there was a global health pandemic happening as the atmosphere reflected a normal summer day in Myrtle Beach.
Just a month ago, tourist destinations along the Grand Strand were deserted as officials sought to limit the spread of COVID-19. With restrictions lifted in recent weeks, areas along the Strand, including Myrtle Beach and the Murrells Inlet Marshwalk, were packed with people looking for life to resume as close to normal as possible.
“It makes me feel good because I’ve worked on the Inlet for several years, and when I came here the other day, it was super dead and it was not normal for May and April,” Myrtle Beach resident Melanie Masciarelli said as she spent Saturday night at the Marshwalk with friend Elizabeth Starkey. “Now that I see it’s super busy it’s awesome, it’s like life is coming back.”
Masciarelli pressed the importance of life resuming despite the virus, stating that while it’s still prevalent and will continue to be for quite some time, isolating for months isn’t sustainable. Starkey agreed, noting that she still makes an effort to be cautious when outside.
However, while she agrees that people should enjoy themselves, she was shocked with how congested the crowd was. With a more than two-hour wait to get into nearby restaurants, several either strolled along Veterans Pier, gathered at the Tuna Shack or waited outside along the walkway. Few wore face masks with the majority opting not to.
“I guess with what’s going on I wasn’t 100 percent expecting it to be like this, but it’s different because every restaurant is restricted,” she said. “They can’t have everyone inside as they usually would, so even though the walk is busy, if restaurants weren’t as restricted it would be different.”
Down the road at biker bar Suck Bang Blow, motorcyclists came out in droves despite their annual Myrtle Beach Harley-Davidson spring rally postponed to the week of July 13. The event was originally scheduled from May 8-17.
Over in Myrtle Beach, traffic was stalled along Ocean Boulevard with residents and tourists making their way to the beach, checking into hotels or enjoying the stores, restaurants and shops lining the oceanfront. The city’s order restricting hotels from accepting new reservations expired on Thursday, thus allowing tourists from all over to travel into and stay in Myrtle Beach.
While the beaches at Myrtle Beach and Myrtle Beach State Park were practically full, beachgoers appeared to be adhering to social distancing guidelines by properly spacing themselves out. Though at Broadway at the Beach, people were on top of each other as they waited on growing lines to enter open restaurants.
Maryland residents Teirell and Asha Stewart spent their Saturday at Broadway as part of five-day birthday getaway to Myrtle Beach. With restrictions much tighter where they’re from, the duo sported face masks as they walked around the tourist destination. Similar to the Marshwalk and Ocean Boulevard, few donned masks while most did not.
The couple said they wore their masks due to mandates in their hometown recommending they be worn. Teirell Stewart thought those restrictions would be the same in South Carolina, noting his refusal to dine-in at any restaurants.
“I thought everywhere was tight-knit like where we are. With that being said I didn’t expect it to be as loose here, but it’s enjoyable,” Stewart said. “It’s a shock because where we live everything is closed and they extended stuff to stay closed longer, so to come down here and to see everything open and people dining in, it’s like whoa.”
This story was originally published May 17, 2020 at 12:15 PM.
