For People Yearning Sun, SC Beach Hotels, State Parks Open
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Officials are giving people in South Carolina plenty of chances to get outside and enjoy the sunshine this weekend after weeks of locked gates and shuttered hotels because of the coronavirus.
State parks reopened Friday along with a number of hotels along the coast and beaches that had been closed for over a month.
Health experts are warning people to continue to follow social distancing. Large groups and parties are still banned, playgrounds and picnic shelters at parks are closed and hotels at the state’s most popular beach destination — Myrtle Beach — can’t start taking new reservations until May 15.
But in a state where tourism brings in nearly $2 billion in taxes every year and is bracing for a projected 50% drop in visitors, getting the outdoors reopened is critical.
“We need to make it OK for people to travel again, for people to shop again for people to do those things that bring our economy back,” said state Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism Director Duane Parrish.
South Carolina is starting a marketing campaign. The first slogan going into rotation Friday is “dream now discover later.” That will be follow next month by “whenever you’re ready, we’ll be ready,” state tourism officials said.
But for towns on the coast, there remain plenty of worries. The Myrtle Beach City Council reluctantly agreed to invite visitors back because state law prevented them from keeping hotels closed after May 1.
The council did pass additional rules for hotels Thursday. They can only honor previously made reservations until May 15, when they can start taking new reservations.
Hotel workers must clean any frequently touched surfaces like stair rails or doorknobs every hour. Only one person or one family — with everyone wearing masks — can be on guest elevators, which could be quite unappealing in sprawling 15- or 20-story resorts that dot the area.
“We know with warm weather and that nice, pretty ocean out here, people are going to come whether we want them or not. So we’ve got to protect those people and our residents,” Myrtle Beach Council member Mike Chestnut said.
But the other things that allure people to the beach like dine-in restaurants, go-cart tracks and amusement rides remain closed for now.
South Carolina has reported nearly 6,100 COVID-19 cases and 244 deaths, according to Thursday’s update from the state Department of Health and Environmental Control.
For most people, the coronavirus behind the pandemic causes mild or moderate symptoms. For some, it can cause severe illness such as pneumonia, or even death.
Also on Friday, state parks reopened with a whimsical video after being closed for more than a month. Shelters and on-site museums remain closed.
South Carolina Chief Justice Don Beatty on Thursday extended a ban on foreclosures and evictions until May 15.
