Myrtle Beach joins national effort to recognize coronavirus pandemic’s effects

The City of Myrtle Beach declared March 1 as “COVID-19 Victims and Survivors Memorial Day.” The designation marks nearly a year since the city and county’s first reported case.

The proclamation was presented during a virtual council meeting on Tuesday. City spokesman Mark Kruea said it is part of a national effort to recognize the pandemic’s impact on communities in the last year.

The proclamation recognizes the millions of people who have contracted COVID-19 in the country and across the globe, and remembers the thousands of people who have died from the virus. It also serves to honor those still suffering and pay tribute to healthcare professionals and other essential workers who have risked their safety to assist others.

Officials confirmed the first COVID-19 case in the city on March 15, making it also the first confirmed case in Horry County.

Horry County had a total of 26,429 confirmed cases and 404 as of Monday, according to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. The agency reports 437,018 confirmed cases and 7,417 deaths in the state.