‘Be ready for heavy volume’: Myrtle Beach city leaders prepare for Memorial Day weekend

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WMBF) - The city of Myrtle Beach is preparing for an influx of visitors for the holiday weekend.

This past weekend, downtown Myrtle Beach saw large crowds and a shooting on N. Ocean Boulevard.

During Monday’s emergency city council meeting, Myrtle Beach Police Chief Amy Prock said the department is there to ensure safety.

As we approach the holiday weekend, Prock said they will have 100 state officers assisting with enforcement and 20 officers from local jurisdictions.

Karen Riordan, president and CEO of the Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce, noted they’re preparing for a busy weekend as people have spent a number of days inside due to COVID-19.

“So the guidance we will be giving the Myrtle Beach Police Department and the rest of our business community is to be ready for heavy volume in terms of people coming to stay over," Riordan said. "Many of our hotels have a three to four-night minimum and people are still finding that acceptable and they are booking for the weekend.”

Also during the emergency city council meeting, Myrtle Beach City Manager John Pedersen said there are a number of other actions the city is prepared to take as circumstances dictate, which could include implementing a curfew.

Pedersen also asked city council to allow him to suspend golf cart and moped rentals for 72 hours during the holiday weekend.

Looking ahead to the summer season, the Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce is working on welcoming more vacationers who call the Palmetto State home.

“We really want South Carolinians to support their own, and what better way to do that than to take their vacation time and come to the Grand Strand,” Riordan said. "It’s a part of the tourism recovery. We are going to be sending those messages out to people in Columbia, Greenville, Hilton Head, Spartanburg and throughout the whole state.”

Riordan also said so far for the month of May, it looks like the area is seeing quite a few visitors from across South Carolina, and said they hope to keep the trend going for the entire summer season.

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