COLUMBIA, SC (WBTW) – Governor McMaster said attraction facilities will be permitted to open throughout South Carolina beginning Friday.
On opening before the Memorial Day weekend, Gov. McMaster said, “So people will spread out a bit and maybe not be as crowded at the beach. With the people coming in, there will be more places for them to disperse to and more places for them to go.” Last weekend in Myrtle Beach, visitors were partying in vacant parking lots and dancing in the streets.
Examples of attraction facilities include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Zoos
- Museums
- Aquariums
- Planetariums
- Historic buildings and sites
- Waterparks
- Amusement park rides
- Go-Kart tracks
- Bingo facilities (specific guidelines can be found here)
- Miniature golf facilities
- Bingo halls
- Social clubs
- Ferris wheels
- Go-cart wheels
Governor McMaster also announced that youth and adult sports leagues will be allowed to begin practicing on May 30, with competitive play resuming on June 15. Specific guidelines, created by the “Response” component of AccelerateSC, can be found here.
While Gov. McMaster never took any action prohibiting day camps, which are popular for children during the summer months, the Department of Social Services and the Department of Health and Environmental Control have established guidelines for those planning to hold camps this summer. Those guidelines can be found here.
Theaters, concert venues, adult entertainment and spectator sports, among other venues that include close proximity, remain closed until guidelines are released.
The governor said a committee is putting together guidelines soon for daycamps, vacation bible schools and scouting activities.
“I want to remind everyone that this is a dangerous disease,” McMaster said in closing. “The courtesies we’ve done before are now matters of life and death. The virus is still here, it’s just as strong as it was in the beginning and we must maintain that social distancing.”
The governor’s announcement comes after AccelerateSC has been meeting for nearly a month to determine the safest ways to reinvigorate the state’s economy.
The “Response” component of AccelerateSC has established exhaustive safety guidelines for businesses that have been allowed to reopen. Guidelines for attraction facilities can be found here and on the AccelerateSC website, along with guidelines for all recently re-opened businesses.