We again counted masks in Myrtle Beach. The difference was stark — except for one place.
One month later, one dramatic shift in attitudes.
Four weeks ago, the Sun News set out to count the number of people wearing masks at various Myrtle Beach area locations. It was around the time Horry County started to see massive spikes in coronavirus cases.
In June, most places saw fewer than 25% of visitors and residents wearing masks.
This week, that percentage flipped.
A reporter and photographer spent several hours Thursday counting masks at the same stores and found most wore face coverings, roughly 80-90%. The most recent count happened about a week after municipalities and the county passed laws requiring masks inside most retail establishments.
“Wear your mask, wear your mask, wear your mask, wash your hands, keep your distance and we’ll get through this,” Gov. Henry McMaster said during a Friday press conference about the state’s response to COVID-19.
But, not every area saw a shift in the number of people wearing masks. Ocean Boulevard and the boardwalk still had fewer than 10% of people wearing masks, according to our observation.
Myrtle Beach’s mask law does not require people to wear a mask when walking or on the beach. Many of the people in the area’s popular tourist stretch on Thursday entered or exited the stores and rides without masks. They also walked on sidewalks with less than six feet between people.
Here are the results of this week’s mask count and how it compares to what the same places saw a month earlier:
Food Lion in Longs around 1 p.m.
The S.C. 9 store was one of two places we found in June where the majority of people wore masks as 14 had them on and 11 did not.
The trend continued in July but was more lopsided with 40 people wearing masks and two people not wearing face coverings.
KJ’s Market IGA in Aynor around 2 p.m.
In June, we found 13 people did not wear masks, compared to one who did. This time, we found 10 people wearing masks and four people who did not. The people who were not wearing masks were all part of the same family, and three were children.
It’s also important to note that all employees were wearing masks this week. When we visited in June, most employees had their face coverings hanging around their neck.
Warmart on Church Street in Conway around 2:15 p.m.
Inside the packed store, 202 people wore masks and 29 did not. That is a dramatic shift from a month earlier when there were 151 people who did not wear masks, compared with 84 who did.
Lowe’s on Highway 501 outside of Conway around 3:30 p.m.
There were 74 people who wore masks, compared with 19 who did not inside the popular store this week. That is exactly the opposite of what we found in June when 84 people did not wear masks and 22 did.
Publix grocery store in Carolina Forest around 4 p.m.
When we visited the grocer in June, we found 46 people who did not wear masks, and 16 who did. During this week’s visit, we found 58 people wearing masks and three who did not.
Ocean Boulevard from 14th Avenue North to 9th Avenue North and the Boardwalk around 4:45 p.m.
We found 252 people not wearing masks and 25 people wearing masks. The count included people getting hair braids, employees and others at the various shops and arcades.
That meant less than 10 percent of people in the popular tourist area wore masks. Still, it’s an improvement from June when 98% of people did not wear masks (516 who did not, compared with eight who did).
Tanger Outlets in North Myrtle Beach around 5:35 p.m.
The popular outlet mall had 238 people who did not wear masks during a June visit and 16 people who did. In July, the numbers were closer to an even split with 68 people not wearing masks and 65 who did.
Many stores had signs on their front entrances warning people that a face covering was required for entry. Some of the people not wearing their masks during the count had them around their necks as they sat on benches outside of the stores.
Home Depot in North Myrtle Beach around 6 p.m.
When we counted this week, we found 32 people wearing masks and two people who were not. That is a shift from the count in June when we found 71 people who did not wear masks and 19 who did.
Bass Pro Shop at Myrtle Beach Mall around 6:15 p.m.
In June, 116 people did not wear masks, compared to 19 who did while they were inside the store. This week we found 92 people wearing masks and five who did not. The people not wearing masks were at benches just inside the store’s entrance and before a sign telling people they had to wear a face covering to enter.
Everybody in the merchandise areas and the employees all wore masks.
