Due to the contagiousness of COVID-19, South Carolina closed all public beach accesses at the beginning of April. A few weeks after, Gov. Henry McMaster gave city mayors and councils the option of reopening their beaches. Many Reopened immediately, and Myrtle Beach is scheduled to open on May 1. However, I feel that this is a mistake; the beaches should be closed just a few weeks longer.

Many people are under the impression that closure of nonessential businesses and the work-or-home order is a violation of their free rights as an American citizen. They don’t care about social distancing and the six feet apart rule. They don’t believe that our government has the right to do such things, but I don’t think they understand why.

These orders have been put into place for the safety of all citizens. The government is not doing this to take away our rights; they are looking out for us. The closure of our beaches is to prevent large gatherings of people so the virus doesn’t spread faster. This was a smart move on our government’s part. 

Laura Weaver, a Carolina Forest teacher, owns Glass Bottom Kayak Tours in North Myrtle Beach; the beach is crucial to her business.

Weaver shares, “It’s fantastic to spend time out in the fresh air and enjoy time on the water, as long as we all remember to social distance.”

I believe that our beaches should not reopen anytime soon. The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control projects that the number of cumulative cases for COVID-19 in SC will rise to approximately 6,206 on the day the beaches are supposed to reopen.  Although our death toll has ceased to rise at the moment, we do not have any recovered cases. If the beaches reopen, this just provides a larger breeding ground for the virus to spread even faster considering that a percentage of people don’t follow the six feet apart rule.

It’s understood some reopened beaches have policies in place where beachgoers aren’t allowed to stay stationary. However, the virus can still spread quite easily among these people, so it’s best for everyone to just stay off the beach. I’m sure there are plenty of other places that people can go to get some fresh air. I wish everyone would realize the seriousness of the situation the world is in and do what is in everyone’s best interest.

This is a mind-blowing event that no one has witnessed before. As seen with prior quarantine dates, the government is taking it one step at a time because no one is certain of how to end this catastrophic pandemic. The virus didn’t come with an instruction manual on how to stop it, so we have to figure it out. For now, all we can do is what we are told. Everyone stay home and stay safe!