Beaches in South Carolina can re-open starting Tuesday
Beaches around South Carolina received the go-ahead to re-open this week.
On Monday, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster rescinded an executive order which closed beaches on March 30. Beaches around the state can open starting noon Tuesday. But that decision will be left up to local governments, McMaster said.
The move comes days after Florida re-opened some of its beaches, resulting in residents flocking to the coast in places like Jacksonville. Protesters around the country have also demanded officials to lift restrictions in their states to allow them to get back to their normal lives prior to the coronavirus pandemic.
“People of South Carolina are complying very well with orders and recommendations that have been issued,” McMaster said Monday. “In light of the common sense taken by the great people of South Carolina, we are ready to take some steps that will help South Carolina assure that our economic health is as strong as our public health.”
McMaster says local governments will now have the power to decide when they will open beaches back up. Health officials and researchers have cautioned that states haven’t completed enough testing to safely reopen. Some elected leaders are heeding those warnings.
On Sunday, officials from Edisto Beach, Folly Beach, Isle of Palms and Sullivan’s Island released a joint letter saying their towns would continue restricting public access to beaches, even if the governor announced reopen plans.
Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head Island joined them on Monday.
“Right now our current restrictions on beaches and parks is through April 30,” Hilton Head Island town manager Steve Riley told The Island Packet on Monday. “At this point, the mayor will recommend sticking with April 30.”
“I hearby order the closure of public beache accesses and adjacent public parking lots to be continued in the City of Myrtle Beach until such time as the Declaration of Emergency expires, City County takes action directing otherwise or until rescinded by subsequent Executive Order,” Myrtle Beach City Manager John Pederson said in a statement.
But North Myrtle Beach unanimously approved a resolution Monday night during its City Council meeting to re-open all public beach access points and adjacent parking lots, calling it an appropriate measure, according to The Sun News.
“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.”
According to the Sun News, Surfside Beach reopened its beach accesses Tuesday for walking and exercise only. Georgetown County voted 5-2 on Tuesday in favor of reopening its beaches in an emergency meeting. Pawleys Island beaches will remain closed.
McMaster also says that rules of three or less people in public areas is still in effect. Police will be able to break up groups of three or more. People are still advised to wear masks when they go out and to limit leaving their homes if possible.
McMaster’s decision on beaches wasn’t the only restriction lifted Monday. The governor also gave some businesses the green light to reopen after just two weeks. Governors in other states, like Georgia and Tennessee, made similar announcements Monday that allows businesses to reopen in effort to jump start the economy.
Prior to Monday’s announcements, health officials at MUSC have already released data showing that a second wave of hospitalizations and cases are expected in the coming weeks.
South Carolina health officials counted 64 new cases of the coronavirus Monday, bringing the statewide total of identified patients to 4,439. The number was surprisingly low, as state officials have identified more than 100 new cases of COVID-19 every day in April.
This story was originally published April 20, 2020 at 4:16 PM.
