No more masks in North Myrtle Beach? How city council voted on state of emergency
Masks are no longer required in public places in North Myrtle Beach following a vote by city council last week.
A motion to extend the city’s state of emergency, which includes the requirement to wear masks in public places to stem the spread of COVID-19, failed at a special meeting Friday and the requirement ended Sunday. The motion failed with only two members voting in favor, Fred Coyne and Nicole Fontana. Mayor Marilyn Hatley and council members J.O. Baldwin, Hank Thomas, and Terry White voted against the extension.
North Myrtle Beach was one of several municipalities in the Grand Strand to enact a face mask requirement last summer as the virus spread rapidly. The requirement was extended several times and became part of the city’s state of emergency relating to the pandemic.
The decision comes as all South Carolina residents age 16 and older will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine this week and cases in Horry County are dropping substantially for the first time in months.
Council also ended the requirement of face masks in restaurants following an announcement from S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster earlier this month ending a similar statewide requirement. Until now, North Myrtle Beach’s mandate still applied to other public places like retail businesses and grocery stores.
Horry County council made the decision to end its mask mandate in the fall, but that requirement only applied to unincorporated areas of Horry County, while cities like North Myrtle Beach, Myrtle Beach and Conway left their orders in place.
City council is set to discuss a resolution encouraging face masks, social distancing and other safety precautions at the next regularly scheduled meeting April 5. That would serve as a recommendation from council instead of a requirement.
Myrtle Beach still has a mask order in place.
This story was originally published March 29, 2021 at 1:44 PM.
