MYRTLE BEACH – As soon as spring breakers start arriving in South Carolina, a QuoteWizard report shows that the state is the second most risky to visit.
The state jumped from 17th position in December to 2nd position in March with regard to risk using the same metrics.
“Factors related to COVID-19 made all the difference,” said Nick VinZant, senior research analyst and insurance expert at QuoteWizard.
The study looked at the number of dangerous traffic accidents in the state, current COVID-19 statistics and the number of vulnerable adults. He found that Georgia, South Carolina and California are the most risky states for spring break travel.
City and city officials, however, point to a decrease in COVID cases in the Myrtle Beach area, current health security measures and traffic control standards that can be put in place at any time, making the region a safe place to visit.
“I find the classification very confusing,” said Karen Riordan, president and CEO of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce.
“If you look at the state numbers and look at the governor’s (Friday) statement, he would give the state an ‘A’, if not an ‘A +’, for our performance during COVID … I think what he meant was one that I agree with, which is that each state, each county and each city had a slightly different strategy. No one in the world had ever been through what we’ve all been through in the last 12 months. “
Notable from the report showed that the state ranked fourth overall in vehicle accidents, ninth in COVID-19 case rates and 11 in hospital capacity.
The Grand Strand saw its worst two months of pandemic during December and January, a change that was anticipated with an increase in cases around Thanksgiving.
In December, health officials, especially hospitals, struggled with overcrowding in the ICU, with establishments like Tidelands Health reaching up to 120 percent of capacity. The area was hit with 4,234 positive cases of COVID-19, or an average of 136.6 per day – a total difference of 67.2 in November, according to data from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control.
It did not improve in January, with 4,848 cases and an average of 161.6 per day.
Before that two-month period, the worst month in Horry County had been July 2020, with 4,402 cases, or an average of 142 per day.
In February 2021, Horry County saw a sharp decline in positive cases, with 2,815 reported by DHEC, or an average of 100.5.
So far, in March, the average is well below 80, with no day exceeding the century mark throughout the month.
VinZant said that COVID-19 and health-related factors had to play a bigger role this year than in the past.
“Each factor of the eight was given the same amount of weight, but when you looked at it, there were more health-related factors than dangerous driving factors,” he said. “The reason we did this is because it’s obviously what’s been going on in the last year. It plays an important role.”
Horry County’s vaccination rate ranks third in the state, according to the Department of Health and Environmental Control. However, according to the most recent data from the CDC, South Carolina ranks 30th in the distribution of vaccines in the USA
Myrtle Beach, the state’s most popular tourist destination, has a mask concierge until the end of March. On Friday, the North Myrtle Beach council voted to end the mask requirement as of Monday. Nor does the Horry County Council have a masking mandate in action.
According to Friday’s latest statistics, there were 36,521 cases of COVID-19 reported in Horry County and more than 545,000 in the state. Deaths in the municipality reached 552 and in the state there were 9,083 deaths.
Myrtle Beach Mayor Brenda Bethune said Myrtle Beach is a very small part of South Carolina and, although it is an important destination for visitors, many of the statistics the area sees are based on the area’s permanent population, in instead of taking into account more than 20 million visitors annually.
“COVID cases in the Grand Strand area are really down, not to mention the fact that we still have a mask order in place,” said Bethune. “Our hotels and restaurants are fulfilling the order and we have seen that our visitors do as well.”
Riordan said there is a sense that the Myrtle Beach area still has college-age spring break, and there are actually more families during spring break. It gave the state “high marks” to improve its COVID numbers. She said that QuoteWizard did not reach the camera to obtain data.
“The statistics that we have seen locally and even across the state do not culminate in the second most risky state in the United States of America in any stretch,” she said. “I don’t agree with your assessments and I think that most people who live in Horry County and run a company in Horry County would probably also scratch their heads for that classification.
“It seems very sensational to me and I don’t think it’s based on the facts that are at the base now.”
Bethune said that more than two months ago, the city administration and the police department drew up a public security plan in anticipation of increased tourism in the area.
“It includes a very flexible traffic management plan that can be implemented anytime, anytime, day or night,” she said. “We work with our business community and our chamber of commerce to help us inform our visitors about our laws and what they can expect while in Myrtle Beach. “
Bethune said it is important that visitors “know that we expect them to obey our laws and practice health and safety guidelines”.
“Our police use message boards to ensure that our visitors entering the city know what to expect and that our officers are prepared to enforce our laws in a professional, fair and firm manner,” added Bethune.
The Myrtle Beach Police does not track whether drivers who commit crimes are from the area or tourists.
Plans are underway to increase the availability of hospital beds by local health providers, although the buildings are still far from complete.
The full report can be found here: https://quotewizard.com/news/posts/riskiest-places-to-travel-during-the-holidays.
QuoteWizard is a LendingTree company and one of the country’s leading online insurance markets, according to a company statement.
Nick Masuda contributed to this report.