Governor lifts beach restrictions, but City of Myrtle Beach will keep beach access and parking closed for now

SC Governor Henry McMaster today modified two previous executive orders regarding COVID-19.  First, the governor cancelled his order of March 30 that closed access to the beach and adjacent public parking and returned the authority for those areas to the local jurisdictions, effective at 12:00 p.m., Tuesday, April 21.  However, Myrtle Beach City Manager issued Executive Order No. 7, which states that public access to the beach and adjacent parking will remain closed until one of the following occurs:  the emergency declaration expires, City Council directs otherwise or the emergency order is rescinded. 

Second, the governor cancelled his April 3 order restricting additional retail businesses, such as department, craft, book and jewelry stores and others, effective at 5:00 p.m. today.  The governor stated that those businesses are subject to the same requirements as other businesses, including that they can operate at no more than 20 percent of occupancy or with only five customers per 1,000 square feet of space, whichever is lesser.  Social distancing guidelines still apply, with customers to maintain six feet of separation while shopping and during checkout.