Coronavirus: Conway declares state of emergency, joining Horry County
The City of Conway joined Horry County in declaring a state of emergency on Saturday due to coronavirus, COVID-19.
City Council met in an emergency meeting to vote unanimously to begin emergency plans and preparedness for the next 60 days unless council decides otherwise.
Mayor Barbara Blain-Bellamy said this is a new challenge, but tasked staff with keeping city employees and residents safe while keeping council informed of changes.
Starting Monday, the city government and services will continue to function although a lot of work will be done remotely or over the phone. Fire and public safety will continue.
The city council meeting for Monday is also canceled and plans are being made to do remote meetings with public comment in the future. Planning commission and other committee meetings will be canceled.
“Declaring a state of emergency allows us to tweak our operations to face the challenges of this virus,” City Administrator Adam Emrick said. “We hope this is an overreaction but we’ve learned the only way to limit this thing is to be overreacting.”
Youth sports could be postponed on Monday depending on what the school board decides. Council Member William Goldfinch said ideally he would like to find a way to keep outside sports open to give folks something to do.
“It gives these kids a chance to get out there and run around,” Goldfinch said. “How long is this going to go on? None of us know.”
Parks and playgrounds will be open and will be pressured washed on Monday, Wednesday and Friday to keep them clean.
Department leaders will have the ability to change their employees’ schedules and Emrick was told to move quickly if situations change. A hiring freeze will also be initiated unless you’ve already been offered the position or if it’s necessary for government functions.
Council Member Larry White asked if the city would continue to provide services to people even if they can’t afford to pay bills due to financial hardship created by coronavirus. Emrick said they would discuss a plan for council to approve, and city staff will do its best to work with residents financially affected by quarantining.
Emrick said he doesn’t know how long this will last but he believes being proactive is the best way to make sure.
“This is such a different time of emergency we’ve done in the past,” he said.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster and President Donald Trump have made similar declarations to open up emergency plans.
No confirmed coronavirus cases had been reported in Conway nor Horry County as of Saturday evening. Emrick said other municipalities will be declaring states of emergencies soon.
A presumptive positive case was reported in Brunswick County, which neighbors Horry County, according to a release from Brunswick County. Officials sent test results to the Center for Disease Control for confirmation.
The individual is in self-quarantine and is said to be doing well.
This story was originally published March 14, 2020 at 4:35 PM.
