Myrtle Beach to keep beach access points closed despite McMaster’s order amid coronavirus
S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster may have allowed all public beach accesses to re-open statewide, but Myrtle Beach will keep public access to the beach closed until further notice.
Horry County, on the other hand, plans to open the beaches Tuesday, Horry County Council Member Johnny Vaught said.
McMaster in a news conference Monday night said that while he canceled his original executive order that closed public access to the beach and adjacent public parking, local jurisdictions will now have the authority to enact their own rules regarding the beach moving forward.
Vaught said Horry County never passed an ordinance closing the beaches, so it didn’t need to vote on anything in order for beaches to open once the governor allowed it. When the barricades are removed tomorrow, Vaught asked residents to continue to be smart and practice social distancing guidelines like washing hands, wearing a mask and avoiding close contact with others.
Myrtle Beach City Manager John Pedersen issued an executive order moments after the news conference requiring the public accesses to the beach and adjacent parking to remain closed until one of the following occurs: the city’s emergency declaration expires on May 13, the emergency order is rescinded or City Council directs otherwise.
It’s unclear what North Myrtle Beach and Surfside Beach officials will choose to do at this time.
Myrtle Beach Mayor Brenda Bethune told The Sun News that while she wants to see businesses opened and beaches enjoyed again, she said she’s cautious, noting several factors need to be considered before anything can open locally.
“I’m cautious because I want to ensure the safety of our community long term and not put us at risk of having a second peak later in the summer,” Bethune said. “Myrtle Beach is very different than most areas of the state, and we cannot risk opening too soon and having visitors from hot spot areas coming here to get away.”
She added the city will need to have a well-thought-out plan prior to re-opening.
During an emergency City Council meeting held Monday via conference call with health and epidemiology experts, Dr. Edward Schwartz, Chief Medical Officer with CareHere, stressed that the virus is not expected to just go away, and at some point everyone will be exposed to it.
Schwartz advised city officials should consider loosening some restrictions only when they can show there’s enough testing supplies, hospital space and personal protective equipment available in the event of an uptick in confirmed cases.
Currently, there are not adequate testing resources available in the Myrtle Beach area, according to the city’s emergency manager Bruce Arnel. Additionally, Horry County doesn’t have drive-thru testing available unlike other areas in South Carolina, Debbie Borst, an infectious control nurse for the Myrtle Beach area, said.
“In our emergency meeting this morning we heard from a doctor that there are some things to consider such as do we have enough tests when we open and do we have the ability to track cases,” Bethune said. “Those are critical points that we can’t ignore.”
Myrtle Beach City Council will meet for their regularly scheduled meeting on April 28.
This story was originally published April 20, 2020 at 5:30 PM.
