In the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 11th annual Salute From The Shore will go ahead as planned on the Fourth of July along South Carolina’s coastline.
Every year, the event honoring service members attracts thousands of people to swarm South Carolina beaches and watch two F-16s and one C-17 fly over the coast from Myrtle Beach to Hilton Head Island.
Earlier this week, Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC) officials urged residents to stay home on the Fourth of July this weekend — especially those along the coast considering going to the beaches.
“The virus is rapidly spreading across the state, with some of the largest increases in our coastal communities,” Dr. Joan Duwve, DHEC Public Health Director, said in a press release this week.
South Carolina has seen surging COVID-19 cases in the last few weeks. The Palmetto State has been labeled as a hot spot and is now among a few states leading the nation in new cases per capita.
South Carolina reported more positive COVID-19 cases in the last 4 days (6,187) than it did in the entire month of May (5,888).
Dr. Linda Bell of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC) urged South Carolinians to “make unselfish decisions to protect others” especially this holiday weekend.
At yesterday’s press conference, Bell said cases began increasing in South Carolina soon after Memorial Day — the beginning of tourism season in South Carolina.
However, Salute From the Shore, a “non-profit, grassroots group of patriotic South Carolinians who simply want to honor our armed forces,” did not mention COVID-19 on their social media pages or website.
Here’s the schedule for this week’s Salute To The Shore, which will take place around 1 p.m. Saturday.
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