MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — Beginning on Friday, people will be required to wear masks or other face coverings in retail stores and food establishments in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, a popular vacation destination for many West Virginians.
At a time when new COVID-19 case numbers in Horry County were rising, members of the Myrtle Beach City Council, while wearing masks, voted to approve the public mask mandate on Thursday ahead of the busy Independence Day Holiday Weekend.
A draft of the executive order which included exemptions was posted HERE.
Under the executive order, a “face covering” was defined as a uniform piece of cloth, fabric, or other material that securely covers a person’s nose and mouth and remains affixed in place without the use of one’s hands.
Face coverings included, but were not limited to, bandanas, medical masks, cloth masks, scarves, and gaiters as long as they were worn in way that securely covered a person’s nose and mouth.
Fines were possible for those who did not comply with the order.
The Executive Order was scheduled to take effect on Thursday at 11:59 p.m. and remain in effect for 67 days which would be after Labor Day, until it was rescinded or until a declared city emergency expired.
A separate mandate approved earlier this week took effect at 12 p.m. Thursday in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and other cities in South Carolina have passed similar measures.
As of earlier this week, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control was including Horry County of its list of counties with “high incidence” of COVID-19.
Jackie Hatley, Myrtle Beach council member and mayor pro tem, noted Myrtle Beach was only one community in Horry County.
“I don’t want people to be scared,” Hatley said. “I want us to take the reality of it. Everybody — wear face coverings, wash your hands, do what you need to do — but I don’t want everybody to be scared to go out of the house either.”
John Krajc, a fellow council member, agreed.
“Horry County is not Myrtle Beach. I just want to make sure that people aren’t scared to come here. As long as we’re practicing the proper procedures, Myrtle Beach is still a great place to live and visit,” Krajc said.
Myrtle Beach officials also announced Thursday that the July 4th fireworks show was being postponed until Dec. 31.
“We need to do all we can at the moment to encourage social distancing,” city officials said.
As of Wednesday, health officials in at least 23 West Virginia counties had linked more than 110 total confirmed cases of COVID-19 to recent travel to Myrtle Beach.