What can you do?  Stay home and limit your social contacts

The last few weeks have turned our world upside down, thanks to the scary prospect of an illness we can’t see.  The steps taken to fight the spread of COVID-19 have disrupted our lives, our schools, our economy and our community.  We are grateful to everyone who loves Myrtle Beach for the many positive ways in which you have responded.

What more can we do?  Please minimize your social contacts.  Stay home if you don’t need to be out and about.  It’s one of the best ways to control this.  Wash your hands and follow the health protocols which have been publicized for the past month.   

We have witnessed a remarkable spirit of cooperation and simply ask that you continue to be as generous and as thoughtful as possible.  Communities are tested in a crisis, whether it’s a fire, a hurricane, a flood or something else.  That’s why we plan ahead for the unknown, which this certainly has been.

The Myrtle Beach city staff has continued to provide services, even with our buildings closed to the public as a precaution.  We are learning new ways of answering your questions, giving and receiving information and helping residents and businesses cope with daily needs.  It’s the definition of “first in service.”

This health emergency will hit hardest those who were already vulnerable.  Members of our community who were on the margin before are grappling with life-altering issues – unemployment, child care, bills that are due, medical emergencies and family issues.  Each of us is struggling with this new reality, but some are struggling more than others.

During an extended crisis, when we feel things are falling apart, we crave normalcy and reassurance that daily routines and joys will return.  And they will.  It requires patience and a calm approach.  This is not the time to panic.  Let’s rely on facts, not fear.  Let each of us do what we need to do for the benefit of all.

The patterns of our daily lives may be upended, but please keep each other’s best interests at heart.  Let this crisis drive us together, not apart.  You can help by minimizing interactions with others.  Let us emerge from weeks of uncertainty and deprivation a stronger, better Myrtle Beach.