Surfside Beach allows short-term rentals to reopen, more beach activity amid COVID-19
Surfside Beach officials have agreed to open the town up for business as neighboring municipalities move forward in activating the economy following weeks of shutdown orders caused by the coronavirus outbreak.
Surfside Beach Town Council in a 6-1 vote opted to allow hotels, short-term rentals and accommodations services to reopen on Friday, with town parks opening to the public immediately. Regular activity and paid parking can now resume as usual at the beach one week after officials voted to limit beach activity to exercise.
Officials said that life needs to resume as usual with the town despite the continued spread of COVID-19, while urging folks to comply with social distancing regulations as the attend the beach.
“All of the decisions we are making are for the health and safety of our residents,” Mayor Bob Hellyer said during Tuesday’s Town Council meeting held via conference call. “If things end up getting worse we’ll change what needs to be changed to protect our residents at all costs.”
The decision comes after S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster canceled a two-week-old executive order last week that closed all public access to the beaches of South Carolina, but restored power to local municipalities to decided how beaches should be handled.
Councilwoman Debbie Scoles, who was the dissenting vote, believes restrictions should have been lifted in baby steps instead of all at once. Others who voted in favor of reopening the town wanted to stay in-line with neighboring municipalities who have taken steps to reopen certain amenities.
Currently, Horry County’s hotels will reopen on April 30 after being closed for a month due to the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. County Council has no plans to extend its emergency ordinance. Georgetown County officials have also agreed to reopen hotels and short-term rental businesses for reservations on Friday.
Myrtle Beach City Council met on Tuesday via conference call to open public access to the beach and craft a proposal that would see accommodations services reopened on Friday, restricting stay for those living in coronavirus hot spots, such as New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and New Orleans.
Myrtle Beach officials will meet again on Thursday to officially vote on a motion to reopen accommodations services within the city, including hotels and short-term rentals.
This story was originally published April 28, 2020 at 8:42 PM.
