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Myrtle Beach taking safety precautions, considering face mask ordinance

People will be required to wear masks and have their temperatures checked entering public buildings starting next week.

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — Myrtle Beach officials say they're planning on having rules for city staff and visitors in public buildings, and are considering enacting a face mask ordinance.

The beach has been under scrutiny after state officials from Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia made comments encouraging people not to go to Myrtle Beach or to quarantine themselves when they come back.

"We've obviously had some elevated numbers which is an indication that we're not done with COVID-19 yet," said Myrtle Beach Public Information Officer Mark Kruea.

One of the most popular vacation spots on the East Coast will be taking more safety precautions beginning with public buildings.

"We are requiring starting next week that you have to wear a mask if you're coming into a building," explained Kruea. "We'll check your temperature if you're coming into a building starting next week. City staff are stepping up their internal protocols to make sure we're not sharing COVID-19 among ourselves."

RELATED: 1,273 new virus cases, 1 new death in South Carolina

On Friday, Horry County ranked fifth in the state with 82 new cases. Kruea thinks Myrtle Beach is getting a lot of the blame although they are a small portion of Horry County.

Kruea believes people need to do a better job of following safety guidelines.

"You know, it's a two-way street. You need to do your part to make sure you stay healthy and that you aren't contributing to a greater cause," said Kruea. "While we've had a spike lately, we also need to expect that our visitors will do what they can to protect themselves and protect everybody else."

Myrtle Beach council member Gregg Smith says they plan on discussing a mask ordinance next week, right before the start of the July 4th weekend.

"I think time is of the essence. Each day, more people are infected with COVID-19 and I think that wearing face coverings is a small step that each one of us can take to reduce the transmission," said Smith.

Smith also says they are a lot of people who live in the city or were visitors have followed the safety guidelines and took personal responsibility.

While nothing is set in stone, officials are considering requiring people to wear face masks everywhere around the city except for the beach.

"I don't think any of us want to mandate you have to wear a mask 100 percent of the time you're outside your house... but what's happening is we're not seeing people follow the CDC guidelines and we need to do something to improve the amount of people that aren't doing what the CDC recommends," said Smith.

Myrtle Beach council plans to meet on Thursday to discuss and potentially make a decision on a mask ordinance.

RELATED: SC governor says statewide mask rule 'ineffective,' 'unenforceable'

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