‘Ratcheting up’: How coronavirus public health suggestions became orders in Myrtle Beach
When Myrtle Beach enacted an emergency ordinance closing campgrounds to slow the spread of coronavirus, police began checking in on businesses and residents to ensure new public health recommendations were followed.
But many times recommendations weren’t followed closely with some campers setting up RVs in parking lots. Police Chief Amy Prock said she’s received complaints about other rule violators in the city, too.
Since the middle of March, South Carolinians have seen the government’s public health recommendations turn to orders with each new order expanding what types of businesses and activities are not allowed as a part of an effort to slow the spread of coronavirus in the state.
Gov. Henry McMaster has now ordered public beach access, tattoo shops, boat ramps, salons, and a list of other businesses to close. Local governments shut down hotels, short-term rentals and amusement attractions.
McMaster’s latest order has essentially limited the public to visiting grocery stores, getting gas, visiting family, going on a run or going to work if their employer is still open. The measure is being compared to a formal “stay at home” order even though it allows residents to leave for work.
Even with the restrictions, the pandemic isn’t expected to peak in South Carolina until next month, according to Horry County Assistant Administrator Randy Webster. Until emergency orders terminate, local public safety officers are tasked with enforcing social distancing guidelines and making sure only essential businesses are open.
Horry County Police Chief Joe Hill said officers are patrolling to find violators and are relying on residents to call in if they see violations. Staffing levels haven’t changed, but a lot of the enforcement involves people following the order on their own.
“We’re looking for voluntary compliance when it comes to enforcing the governor’s new order,” Hill said. “As we get calls in for violations, officers are responding.”
While many residents are following the rules, the governor said this last measure is the result of previous public health recommendations not working to voluntarily keep enough people indoors. Each increase of pandemic regulations has followed reports of non-compliance locally and across the state.
University of South Carolina Public Health Law Professor Jacqueline Fox said as a general rule public health officials try to find the least restrictive measures while also ensuring safety from the virus.
McMaster started off the state’s pandemic response issuing recommendations that essentially comprised a stay at home order but didn’t carry a penalty of law. Those efforts proved insufficient in the eyes of the government.
“If people do not want to be forced into their homes, they need to behave responsibly,” Fox said. “What we’ve seen is recommendations not being followed and a gradual ratcheting up of the rules.”
Over the weekend, police officers had to break up a game of basketball at a public park due to the players not following social distancing, Hill said. While Horry County parks remain open, violation of the rules can lead to additional measures in the future.
State law, as determined by the South Carolina General Assembly, largely guides the power officials can use during a public health crisis. The code of laws specifically grants power for the state to “to close … any facility of which there is reasonable cause to believe that it may endanger the public health.”
These rules were approved well before the coronavirus pandemic. One of the policies dealing with South Carolina’s response to a public health emergency was approved in 2002, according to the editor’s notes of the SC Code of Laws.
Emergency regulations ordered by the governor have to be fair and necessary, Fox said.
Horry County Government could institute a curfew, as it has done in during hurricanes, or further close public facilities like parks and trails if the rules aren’t followed. For now, Hill is encouraging people to get outside but reminded everyone to follow social distancing rules.
While the powers are outlined in law, public health is still a political process that requires the governor to weigh the interests of people, businesses and the recommendations from the medical industry. Fox said it is the job of elected officials to make sure the public is safe and allowing coronavirus to spread unchecked could easily lead to overflowing hospitals unable to treat citizens.
She added the state has lost rural hospitals which makes the concerns of overcrowding medical facilities a real one and could threaten the lives of citizens. So if there is a threat to the safety, the governor and leaders must act before it’s too late.
“They’re political people, the governor and mayors. But at a baseline, they have a responsibility to protect the citizens of South Carolina. And if people are going to be irresponsible and profoundly selfish there has to be a push back and it will probably come from the governor.”
