Visitors descend Myrtle Beach as COVID-19 rules ease, week marred by talk of bad behaviors
Myrtle Beach saw an influx of visitors in the last week as COVID-19 restrictions loosened, but shooting and a lack of social distancing scarred the resumption of many tourism activities.
Myrtle Beach hotels were able to take new reservations last weekend for the first time since mid-March. Efforts to slow coronavirus’ spread left short-terms rentals closed during the spring break season.
Thousands came to the beach to enjoy the sun and get out of their homes.
The week started with a shooting across Ocean Boulevard that left several injured and eight people in cuffs. Video of people packing and spontaneously dancing on Ocean Boulevard also went viral. Those events, plus other instances of a lack of social distancing, caused city officials to roll out new plans to avoid a repeat during the holiday weekend.
“The circumstances that took place last weekend … that is not something that we ever could have prepared for; we were under the impression the occupancy rate in our hotels would be much lower than what we actually saw,” Mayor Brenda Bethune Bethune said on Thursday.
Shooing in an iconic stretch
Around 7:15 p.m. Sunday, Myrtle Beach police went to the 1100 block of North Ocean Boulevard for a reported shooting. Police say two rival gangs from Chesterfield County brought their dispute to the Grand Strand and it ended in gunfire.
“We got some gang members over by the SkyWheel pulling out guns,” one 911 caller said. “They trying to fight right here at the grasshoppers. Yeah, we need officers.”
“Oh, they having a shootout,” the caller frantically yelled. “They shooting, somebody down!”
Several people were injured in the shooting, and two people were shot. Both of the shooting victims were released from the hospital a day later.
Myrtle Beach police arrested eight people in connection to the shooting, many of them facing several counts of attempted murder.
Hours before the shooting, a spontaneous dance party broke out on Ocean Boulevard. A video captured by a witness showed people and golf carts stopped in the middle of the road and dancing.
The video went viral and led to thousands of social media comments.
City responds
The Myrtle Beach City Council called an emergency meeting in the aftermath of the weekend’s activities where police Chief Amy Prock said there was a lack of communication from the business community that left the department unprepared.
“The information we originally received was inaccurate at best,” Prock said. “It was extremely disappointing to me and my staff that the communication between our business community was lacking with our department.”
City Manager John Pedersen said the city’s occupancy rate was higher than expected, and urged people to call the police if their safety was in question and not just take to social media.
Officials made several changes to prepare for Memorial Day weekend. Police are expected to have a substantial presence on Ocean Boulevard with 450 officers on hand.
Traffic is restricted on Ocean Boulevard and the city blocked any roads that lead to the boulevard.
“We hope there are no problems this weekend, as I’ve mentioned before, we cannot control what people come here to do,” Bethune said. “But if you come to Myrtle Beach with the mindset you want to cause problems and you want to come here and disobey the law, you will get caught.”
The first night of the holiday weekend went off with few problems. Tourists trickled into the area and Ocean Boulevard was sparsely populated.
That calmness changed by early Sunday morning when several people were injured in a shooting near Ocean Boulevard and 12th Avenue North around 12:30 a.m.
Pandemic continues
The influx of tourists comes as Horry County continues to see an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases. The county set a new daily high on Friday with 26 new cases, according to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control.
The state has also ramped up its testing efforts, hoping to test 2 percent of the population each month.
Several other businesses also started to welcome back customers in the last week. That included nail salons, hairstylists, gyms and public pools.
“I’m so happy to be back because we’ve been in business for so long and I work every single day and staying home for me wasn’t easy,” Four Seasons Nail & Spa owner Tony Tran said. “I love to work, and I love to talk to my clients. I need to see them. We’ll do what we have to do to survive.”
Horry County is also considering a program that will identify which businesses and restaurants are following coronavirus guidelines. If groups agree to the program, they would receive a sticker to place on the front door to show they are following the best practices.
“It really relieves the uncertainty that guests might have visiting our area and our locals alike,” Horry County Council Member Tyler Servant said. “I think this is something we can move quickly on.”
While more is reopening, there are still some uncertainties because of COVID-19. Some municipalities are planning on hosting summer camps, while others canceled their programs.
Coastal Carolina University stated its plan to play a full football schedule in the fall, but the athletic department faces cuts because of a loss of revenue stemming from the pandemic.
This story was originally published May 23, 2020 at 4:05 PM.
