North Myrtle Beach to comply with SC order to open beach accesses as coronavirus spreads
As Myrtle Beach opts to keep its public beach access points closed until further notice amid the coronavirus outbreak, North Myrtle Beach will re-open them on Tuesday at noon.
S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster announced on Monday his decision to cancel an executive order that closed all public access to the beach, a decision he had put into effect just two weeks ago to curb the spread of COVID-19. McMaster’s decision also allows for some retail stores to open as state public health officials continue to fight the novel virus that has so far claimed more than 100 lives in the state.
With the decision to re-open public access to the beach, local jurisdictions now have the authority to enact their own rules regarding the beach moving forward.
North Myrtle Beach unanimously approved a resolution on Monday night during its City Council meeting to re-open all public beach access points, crossovers, adjacent parking lots and access shower and bathroom amenities, calling it an appropriate measure.
“We are fully in support of this new ordinance,” Public Safety director Jay Fernandez said. “We’ve had wonderful compliance with social distance and we’ve had very few people violate that. We don’t anticipate any major problems.”
Mayor Marilyn Hatley said it’s important for residents to continue to abide by the rules and regulations of social distancing and to avoid congregating in mass crowds. If the rules are violated, Hatley said the order can be reversed, but doesn’t believe that will be the case.
“We’re putting a lot of confidence in the people of our community but we have a lot of smart people and they’ve done a very good job so far and I’m trusting that they will listen and continue doing the good job that they have done,” Hatley said. “If they don’t, we can always go back and close it but I don’t think we’ll have to do it.”
Beach Patrol Officers will be on hand along the beach, as the city’s prohibition on short-term and long-term rentals and hotels remains in effect through April 30.
Myrtle Beach, however, has chosen to keep the public accesses to the beach and adjacent parking closed until one of the following occurs: the city’s emergency declaration expires on May 13, the emergency order is rescinded or City Council directs otherwise.
Myrtle Beach Mayor Brenda Bethune told The Sun News that while she wants to see businesses opened and beaches enjoyed again, 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.
Horry County is complying with the governor’s order, while Surfside Beach Mayor Bob Hellyer said in his daily newsletter Town Council will mull over whether to shut down parking lots but keep the beaches open to locals.
This story was originally published April 20, 2020 at 8:05 PM.
