Coronavirus

Coronavirus Updates

• Updates From MBACC/MBACVB
• Free COVID-19 Testing Sites
• COVID-19 Vaccine Resource Center
• Webinars/Networking Events
• MBACC Blogs
• Businesses Providing Cleaning and Personal Protective Equipment
• Visit Myrtle Beach Responsibly – Promoting health and safety
• accelerateSC – Connecting you to important information during these changing times
• South Carolina Palmetto Priority Program – Palmetto Priority is a formal commitment made by South Carolina restauranteurs to provide a clean and safe environment
• Ways to Help/Relief Assistance (COVID-19 Relief & Recovery Fund)
• Legislative Response to COVID-19
• Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act
• Financial Assistance for Small Businesses​​​​​
• Tools for Your Business
• COVID-19 Business Resource Center (One-stop resource for SC Department of Commerce, SC Dept of Employment and Workforce, SC Department of Revenue, SC Department of Insurance, SC Department of Health and Environmental Control and other state agencies) 
• HR Resources (Unemployment, FMLA, FFCRA)
• History/Symptoms/Facts
• COVID-19 Hotlines
• FAQs
• From the Desk of Karen Riordan

Updates From MBACC/MBACVB

(As of March 1, 2022)

The health and safety of our residents and visitors are paramount, and we want to ensure you are fully informed of the impacts of COVID-19 on our area. We’ll continue to post updates on this page and our social channels.

Masks are longer required when entering our building and attending chamber events.

S.C. DHEC provides updated information on the current cases COVID-19 in South Carolina. View maps of COVID-19 Cases

We urge you to continue following the recommendations of the CDC as we navigate this evolving situation together.

Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act

This federal legislation provides relief for small businesses. Here are some resources to help you learn more about the funds available for individuals, families, employers and employees.

• Congressman Tom Rice CARES Act FAQs
• U.S. Travel Association: CARES Act Relief Resources FAQ
• U. S. Travel Association: Debt Relief for New and Existing SBA Loans 
• U.S. Travel Association: SBA Business Interruption Loans
• U.S. Travel Association: Express Loans
• U.S. Travel Association: Business Tax Provisions
• REAL ID Enforcement was delayed and will now begin on May 3, 2023 as a result of the CARES Act. Learn more 
• COVID-19 Employee Retention Credit (ERC) – Is your business suffering a financial downturn during the COVID-19 crisis but still supporting your employees? You could be eligible for a refundable retention credit of up to $5,000 per employee for fiscal years 2020 and 2021.
• U.S. Department of the Treasury – The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), established by the CARES Act, is implemented by the Small Business Administration with support from the Department of the Treasury.
  • PPP ended May 31, 2021. Existing borrowers may be eligible for loan forgiveness.

Small Business Financial Assistance ​​​

• Shuttered Venue Operators Grant – Provided emergency assistance for eligible venues affected by the COVID pandemic. Administered by U.S. Small Business Administration. The grant application process is closed, but existing applicants and awardees may still access the portal.
• List of grants, loans and programs available for small businesses in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce guide.
• COVID-19 Emergency Relief Package – The PPP program ended May 31, 2021. Existing borrowers may be eligible for loan forgiveness.
• $8.2M Available for COVID-Impacted Operations – Loan proceeds may be used to acquire fixed assets, like buildings and furniture, fixtures, and equipment, as well as inventory, technology, personal protective equipment, and other working capital needs. Funding for the SC Business Loan Fund has been provided from the U.S. Economic Development Administration as part of the CARES Act.
• Truist-LISC Partnership Small Business Relief Grant - Grants of up to $10,000 each to small business owners, especially in rural communities and to enterprises owned by women and minorities, to help meet their most immediate needs. 
• Economic Injury Disaster Loan
  • As of Jan. 1, 2022 the SBA is no longer accepting new applications for COVID Economic Injury and Disaster Loans. The SBA will accept and review reconsideration and appeal requests for COVID EIDL applications received on or before Dec. 31, 2021 if the reconsideration/appeal is received within the timeframes in the regulation. This means six months from the date of decline for reconsiderations and 30 days from the date of reconsideration decline for appeals – unless funding is no longer available.
  • Borrowers can request increases up to their maximum eligible loan amount for up to two years after their loan origination date, or until the funds are exhausted, whichever is soonest
• Access to Capital – SBA provides a number of loan resources for small businesses to utilize when operating their business. 

HR Resources

• Temporary Rule: Paid Leave Under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act –  U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) announced revisions to regulations that implement the paid sick leave and expanded family and medical leave provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). Read the revised rule, which went into effect Sept. 16, 2020.
• Unemployment Benefits are Taxable – Unemployment benefits must be reported on your federal tax return. A record number of Americans are applying for unemployment compensation due to the COVID-19 outbreak. If you received unemployment benefits, as well as the additional $600 per week in coronavirus relief any time during the year, your tax return may be affected.
• EEOC Updates COVID-19 Guidance - U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) published an update to its guidance titled “What You Should Know About COVID-19 and the ADA, Rehabilitation Act, and Other EEO Laws.” The updated guidance adds new questions and answers adapted from other EEOC technical resources, with a focus on providing employers with guidance on testing, inquiries, and return-to-work issues. View highlights from Nexsen Pruet
• Wage and Hour Division added three new FAQs to the Families First Coronavirus Response Act: Questions and Answers website. These FAQs (#98 through 100) address the reopening of elementary and secondary schools.
• U.S. Department of Labor’s PAID Program Helps Workers and Employers as America Reopens – Payroll Audit Independent Determination (PAID) Program continues to provide an avenue to get workers the wages they are owed, bring employers into compliance and accomplish both goals with an efficiency that saves taxpayers money.
• Determining Your FFCRA Eligibility – Do the requirements and benefits provided for in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) apply to you? This tool will quickly walk you through a handful of options to determine your eligibility as an employee for paid sick leave or paid expanded family and medical leave, or your obligations as an employer to provide paid sick leave or paid expanded family and medical leave.

What to do if a team member tests positive

• Employee Screening Information
• What to do if a Worker Becomes Sick
• Guidance for Persons Who Have Tested Positive

• Offers of Work – To help employers navigate questions as they reengage their workforce, SC DEW has created the Recall Taskforce. In addition to helping employers understand the different federal funding programs available to their workforce and the eligibility requirements of each one, the Recall Taskforce wants businesses who are reopening to know that their employees cannot refuse an offer for work without good cause if they wish to continue to collect unemployment insurance. If you have offered an individual a job and they refused, it is important for you to report the incident to DEW through your Employer Self Service Portal. 
• Quick Benefit Tips From DOL – How much paid leave can employees take?
• DOL issued additional guidance regarding eligibility of furloughed employees to receive regular unemployment or enhanced pandemic unemployment assistance (PUA) once their employer reopens for business and offers to rehire the employee.
• IRS has released additional guidance regarding the employer eligibility for the ERC.
• U.S. Department of Labor Announces Final Rule to Expand Access to Bonuses for American Workers
• Unemployment General Questions – Q&A on unemployment benefits, eligibility under the CARES Act, tips for answering questions while filing your initial claim.
• Furlough vs Temporary Layoff  – Both layoffs and furloughs are unpaid time off; the distinction being that furloughed employees have a guarantee of returning to their jobs, while layoffs can be made permanent.
• How to Conduct a Layoff or Reduction in Force – Conducting a layoff is a difficult process that some businesses may have to face. Learn the basic compliance components to review during the layoff/RIF process.
• Coronavirus and Unemployment Insurance Benefits - If your work is affected by COVID-19, you can apply for Unemployment Insurance.
• Families First Coronavirus Response Act Q&A  – Q&A explaining paid sick leave and expanded family and medical leave under the FFCRA. 
• Families First Coronavirus Response Act: Employer Paid Leave Requirements – The Families First Coronavirus Response Act requires certain employers to provide employees with expanded family and medical leave for specified reasons related to COVID-19. Download PDF 
• COVID-19 and Family and Medical Leave Act – Q&A on what’s covered under FMLA.
• COVID-19 and the Fair Labor Standards Act – Q&A on FLSA.
• The ADA, the Rehabilitation Act and COVID-19 – What you should know about the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, and COVID-19.
• Key Steps In Responding to a COVID-Driven OSHA Complaint – What should a business do in response to an OSHA complaint?
• COVID-19 and the American Workplace – WHD provides additional information on common issues employers and employees face when responding to COVID-19 and its effects on wages and hours worked under the Fair Labor Standards Act and job-protected leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act. 

History of the Coronavirus 

The outbreak of respiratory illness caused by a novel (new) coronavirus, now named COVID-19, was first identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019.

COVID-19 is spread via airborne particles and droplets. People who are infected with COVID-19 can release particles and droplets of respiratory fluids when they exhale, cough, sneeze or talk.

Symptoms of the Coronavirus

Coronavirus infection in humans can result in respiratory illness ranging from the common cold to more serious diseases such as pneumonia. The symptoms are similar to those caused by other respiratory viruses, such as the flu, and includes:

• Fever or chills
• cough
• shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• fatigue
• muscle or body aches
• headache
• new loss of taste or smell
• sore throat
• congestion or runny nose
• nausea or vomiting
• diarrhea
   

Self-Check Symptoms Tool

Seek emergency medical if someone is having:

• trouble breathing
• persistent pain or pressure in the chest
• inability to wake or stay awake
• pale, gray or blue-colored skin, lips or nail beds depending on skin tone
   

Practice Good Health Hygiene for Prevention

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Stay home when you are sick.
• Wear a mask around others.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue.
   

COVID-19 Hotlines

• DHEC Care Line > 1-855-472-3432
  If you have general questions about COVID-19, the DHEC Care Line is here to help. Staff is answering calls from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Friday excluding holidays. In the event of an emergency, please call 911. Visit Website
• DHEC COVID-19 Vaccine Information Line  > 1-866-365-8110
  People who have questions about the COVID-19 vaccines or who need help finding vaccine providers and their contact information are asked to call the DHEC COVID-19 Vaccine Information Line. Staff is answering calls Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.-6 p.m.
• For mental health or substance abuse services related to COVID-19, call SC Hopes support line 24/7 at 1-844-724-6737 (1-844-SC-HOPES). Visit Website
• Free COVID-19 Testing – All listed DHEC mobile and popup testing clinics are free. View List of Clinics
• Several South Carolina health systems are offering telehealth options to the public.
  • McLeod Telehealth  
  • MUSC Health Virtual Urgent Care
  • Prisma Health Virtual Visit
  • Roper St. Francis Healthcare Virtual Care
• Tidelands Health COVID-19 nurse line at 1-866-TIDELANDS, which operates 24 hours a day. Also, find comprehensive information at tidelandshealth.org.
• Doctors Care Anywhere - See a physician, nurse practitioner or physician assistant within minutes, using your computer, phone or tablet.