HORRY CO, SC (WBTW) – Patrols are on the beaches in Horry County enforcing social distancing rules now that they are open, Horry County Chairman Johnny Gardner said.
Compliance has gone well, Gardner added in a press briefing on Wednesday. Groups still must be in three or less and people must practice social distancing. “Keep using good judgment to move forward,” Gardner said in a press briefing on Wednesday. “We don’t want people to get sick.”
Horry County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Tom Fox reiterated the caution, “Just use good judgment,” Fox said. “If you don’t feel comfortable going out, don’t go out.”
About 20 contacts have been made in relation to social distancing, according to Chief Joseph Hill with the Horry County Police Department. A contact, for example, is an officer going up to a group and directing them to disperse. The county does not have a total number of citations issued since social distancing began, but officials have not given any recently.
Fire chief Joseph Tanner said the county gets 20 to 30 calls a day regarding the coronavirus. But 911 calls are down about 3,200 calls for the month compared to last year, probably because there are fewer people here, he said.
And no inmates have tested positive at the J. Reuben Long Detention Center. Inmates are screened and correction officers are given equipment for protection, Chief Deputy Fox said.
Each person is put in a segregation unit for two weeks, Fox said. Intake is kept to one housing unit, where they work their way through different cells for the first two weeks.
“We have greatly reduced movements within the facility so we don’t cross-contaminate,” said Fox.
No additional coronavirus cases have been diagnosed among employees at Horry County.
