The Highway 21 Drive In is set to reopen its gates on Thursday night after receiving an exemption from the statewide non-essential business closure order issued by South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster on Tuesday. The Governor’s order took effect Wednesday and applies to thousands of businesses across the state, from tattoo parlors and hair salons to spas, nightclubs, theaters and museums.
The announcement of the reopening came from owner Joe Barth on Facebook Wednesday evening, and followed an announcement of the drive in’s closing by just a few hours.
The Governor’s order also allowed businesses to submit requests for a determination regarding the applicability of the order. “A team from the Department [of Commerce] will review each request for clarification and provide a response with the Department’s determination within 24 hours of receipt,” the order stated.
After closing on Wednesday along with thousands of businesses across the state, Barth appealed to the State Department of Commerce for reconsideration, and received the exemption late Wednesday.
“YEEHAW!! We got permission to show movies!”, the drive in’s Facebook page said. “Too late for tonight’s movies but they will go on as scheduled starting tomorrow.”
The Department of Commerce exemption reinforced the need for compliance with continued precautions and measures to protect both employees and the public from COVID-19.
On March 21st, the drive in closed down its concession stand and announced that for the first time ever, its customers were allowed to bring in their own food. They went further and appealed to its customers to please order food from a local restaurant and bring it to the drive in with them to enjoy while watching movies, playing their part in a show of solidarity to help out our struggling local restaurants.
There’s not much to do in the new age of social distancing. With recommendations to avoid large crowds, stay at least 6 feet away from others or just stay at home, options aren’t abundant.
As movie theaters, theme parks and other entertainment options were forced to close because of governmental orders designed to increase social distancing during the coronavirus outbreak, drive-in theaters are one of the few options we have left.
The drive-in is safer since folks are confined to their own cars, and the chance for interaction with others is very minimal, and can be 100% avoided.
According to reports, drive-in theaters across the country are experiencing a surge in interest. Once numbering around 4,000, it’s just too bad that there are only 305 of them left because a lot more people would be able to get out and take a little break from being cooped up in their homes.
The Highway 21 Drive In’s exemption is a certainly a gift to the Beaufort community.
