Lowcountry officials on a collision course with McMaster over beach reopenings
Lowcountry officials aren’t in favor of SC Gov. Henry McMaster’s proposed plan to reopen beaches.
Officials from Isle of Palms, Sullivan’s Island, Folly Beach and Edisto Beach released a joint statement on Sunday that they will continue restricting beach access — even if McMaster announces this week he will reopen them.
“There are no evidence from medical professionals that indicates the threat of COVID-19 in our region has diminished,” their statement reads. “South Carolina is still in the acceleration phase and even with the reduction in growth of new cases, new cases could begin to grow quickly if social distancing restrictions are lifted.
“All four coastal municipalities intend to maintain the entry checkpoints and access restrictions after Governor McMaster announces the reopening of the public beach accesses this week,” the officials continued.
Charleston County Parks also will remain closed, they said.
“It doesn’t mean the beach communities have to give (boat) launch access to the beaches, and it doesn’t mean towns have to do everything exactly as the order says,” Haynie said.
Beaches across South Carolina have been closed since March because of the coronavirus pandemic. But McMaster is expected this week to lay out details of his economic recovery plan, which he’s calling “Accelerate SC” and would involve reopening beaches and lifting restrictions on some retail stores, including clothing, furniture and jewelry stores.
Public docks and boat landings were reopened in South Carolina on Friday.
South Carolina wouldn’t be the first state to loosen its coronavirus restrictions on beaches. On Friday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis gave municipalities the go-ahead to open beaches. Texas also is relaxing some stay-at-home orders.
Yet in South Carolina, the number of COVID-19 cases statewide is expected to keep climbing, with a peak around May 2.
State health officials announced 136 new cases of the coronavirus on Sunday, as well one additional death. The new COVID-19 count brings South Carolina to 4,377 total cases and deaths, according to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control.
McMaster’s ofifce did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This story was originally published April 19, 2020 at 7:14 PM.
