Coronavirus pandemic is a serious and dangerous reality for most of the world, as no end is near in sight. Countries all over the world have advised people to observe social distancing and Myrtle Beach city in the Horry County of the United States is no different. Regardless of additional precautions in place, around 100 teenagers from the Washington D.C area have tested positive for COVID-19 after returning from Myrtle Beach.
They are suspected of catching coronavirus from Myrtle Beach. For the City, however, this isn’t the first occurrence of coronavirus transmission as reports show.
David Goodfriend is a health director for Loudon County, Va. Lax behavior of the city’s inhabitants led him to reach out to Myrtle Beach City’s Manager John Pedersen. He expressed his concerns to the mayor about the city’s negligence of letting 40 and more people share one house and hold parties that have 100 attendees.
Goodfriend addressed his concerns via email to Pederson, in it he urged him to establish and push social distancing measures for the city. He explained how taking action will prevent subsequent outbreaks in the population. It will also save the lives of high-risk candidates for the virus such as those who are older.
If Pederson heads Goodfriend’s advice cases of coronavirus from Myrtle Beach may also be reduced as a consequence.
Goodfriend however is yet to receive an answer. He further explains his concerns by bringing attention to the area he oversees, saying he is currently observing triple-digit cases since a recent trip to the state of Palmetto.
This is a cause for concern as there is no official vaccine available anywhere in the world that guarantees to prevent coronavirus. No cure for the novel coronavirus means people must be careful and take relevant precautions. If precautions are not taken seriously, millions of lives will subsequently be at risk.
The economies of countries like the US are already observing grave recessions; preventative measures will help not only the health of populations but also the economies that drive their livelihoods.
Myrtle Beach City Manager John Pederson says the city in approximation receives a good 75 emails daily. He explains that these emails are either advising for wearing masks or advising against them. Most of the emails do not require an answer but rather offer advice like that of Dr. Goodfriend. He says he does not respond to such emails but takes their advice under consideration because they’re not questions that need answers.
Referencing to what Goodfriend addressed in his email, Pederson says Myrtle Beach has few vacation homes in the city and thus he doubts the 50 people Goodfriend talks of were within the limits of the city.
The Virginia cases however are not the only cases linked back to Myrtle Beach. Health officials in West Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio confirm that they have found clusters of coronavirus cases that have links to Myrtle Beach. This is an alarming report and should be taken into consideration by those planning to visit the beach in these weeks.
A health advisory from the Kentucky Department for Public Health recommended last week that people who have recently been to Myrtle Beach should self-quarantine. He did so considering the repeated cases of coronavirus from Myrtle Beach.
Following these developments in coronavirus cases, the city council for Myrtle Beach City has called an emergency meeting. This meeting will take place on Thursday and will discuss an emergency order to make face masks compulsory for specific businesses.
