Here’s how long Myrtle Beach’s extended mask mandate lasts

Myrtle Beach residents and visitors will be required to wear face masks in public through the end of the year following an extension of the city’s civil emergency.

Mayor Brenda Bethune extended Myrtle Beach’s civil emergency relating to COVID-19 through the end of the year. Masks have been required in certain public places in the city since early July in order to curb the spread of the coronavirus in the area.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and numerous health experts have urged people to wear face coverings and studies have proven their effectiveness in mitigating the virus’s spread. After the spread in Horry County decreased in the late summer and early fall, coronavirus cases are again on the rise. So far in the pandemic, 229 people in Horry County have died of COVID-19, according to the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control. The county has recorded more than 13,500 cases of the coronavirus since mid-March.

Following the initial passing of the mask mandate this summer, more people seemed to be wearing face coverings in public, according to a count done by Sun News reporters. Reporters again counted masks as the holiday shopping season kicked off, and found that the percentage of people masking up in the area dipped slightly since the summer’s count. Both those counts showed an increase of mask-wearing since the first count was done in June when only 25% of people in public covered their faces, before local governments passed requirements.

Rules of the requirement

Face mask requirements around the Grand Strand vary. Here’s what you need to know about the rules in the city of Myrtle Beach:

• Masks are required in retail businesses and establishments that are open to the public.
• Customers and staff are required to wear face coverings at hotel, retail and food businesses.
• The requirement doesn’t apply to the beaches.
• Exemptions to the order apply, including medical or religious elements that don’t allow for face coverings.
• Violators are subject to a fine of up to $100. Each day of the violation is considered a new offense.
• Businesses that don’t abide by the mandate can be a public nuisance, meaning they could be punished by restraining order, preliminary and permanent injunction or other lawful means.

Mask rules around the Grand Strand

While Myrtle Beach and some other municipalities — like North Myrtle Beach and Conway — continue to require face masks in public, Horry County council voted to let its requirement expire and an effort to bring it up for discussion in mid-November failed. Horry County’s mask rules only apply to the unincorporated areas of the county. Cities and towns within Horry County are subject to their specific municipality’s rules. Here’s a of mask rules in the area to keep up.

This story was originally published November 30, 2020 at 11:16 AM.