SC museums, amusement parks and more allowed to reopen ahead of Memorial Day weekend
In his latest move to reopen the economy after shutting it down to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, Gov. Henry McMaster is now allowing attractions and amusement parks to reopen on Friday, just in time for Memorial Day weekend.
The governor’s order on Wednesday lifted restrictions on arcades; tourist attractions such as museums, aquariums, planetariums, mini-golf and go-kart racing; indoor children’s play areas; bingo halls; and venues operated by social clubs.
Night clubs, bowling alleys, concert venues, theaters, auditoriums, performing arts centers, racetracks and adult entertainment venues were not included in Wednesday’s roll out. Guidelines for those types of venues are expected soon, McMaster said.
Wednesday’s announcement came as McMaster also said youth sports can return, and as positive COVID-19 cases increased by an additional 125 South Carolinians, bringing the total to 9,175 cases. The death toll also surpassed 400 with eight additional deaths.
Despite the reopenings, state health officials still stressed South Carolinians must practice safe behavior.
State epidemiologist Dr. Linda Bell, who recently expressed concern that a large majority of the people she observed in public were not following safety guidelines, urged people Wednesday to avoid large crowds, practice social distancing and wear masks.
McMaster echoed those concerns.
“This is a dangerous, dangerous disease, a dangerous virus, and things that we may have done before out of courtesy and good manners ... are now actually matters of life and death,” McMaster said. “Although (we’re) lifting ... these restrictions, the virus is still here. It’s just as strong as it was in the beginning, and we must continue to be very careful to maintain that social distancing.”
The governor’s Accelerate South Carolina COVID-19 task force recommended lifting restrictions on attractions on Tuesday.
“We can’t keep things closed forever, of course,” McMaster said Wednesday. “The Constitution doesn’t allow it, neither does common sense and neither would the economy.”
The governor has faced pressure from business owners and many South Carolinians to reopen all businesses.
But many South Carolinians also have worried that lifting restrictions too soon could cause another wave of the virus.
Reopening major attractions ahead of Memorial Day Weekend, McMaster said he expects there to be crowds, but added that with the so many attractions reopening, South Carolinians will have more options beyond just the beach, more places to go.
Over the weekend, large crowds gathered on the state’s beaches and restaurants in South Carolina’s coastal beach communities, including Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head, while pools and other tourist attractions remained closed. Public pools were allowed to open on Monday, which, combined with attractions coming this weekend, should help alleviate some of the crowding, Duane Parrish, leader of the state’s Parks, Recreation and Tourism Department said earlier this week.
Columbia’s Riverbanks Zoo and Garden and the Fun Warehouse in Myrtle Beach say they have plans in place to reopen.
But amusement park Carowinds on the North Carolina-South Carolina border is not expected to reopen for now.
In the past several weeks, McMaster has gradually let other businesses reopen.
Now, restaurants can serve customers inside, many retail stores are open, and South Carolinians can now frequent close-contact businesses, including gyms, salons and barber shops.
The governor said Wednesday he trusts South Carolinians to abide by safety protocols urged by health professionals.
“We have seen good compliance in South Carolina,” he said. “If we stick together and do what we’ve planned on doing, we ought to be in good shape, and that’s what we’re counting on.”
This story was originally published May 20, 2020 at 4:19 PM with the headline "SC museums, amusement parks and more allowed to reopen ahead of Memorial Day weekend."
