Delaware is the latest state to declare a State of Emergency in reponse to tio the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
Gov. Carney announced the State of Emergency goes into effect at 8 a.m. Friday morning.
“We are taking this situation extremely seriously,” said Carney in a statement. “We have been expecting positive cases in Delaware, and for the last two months we have prepared our state’s response in close coordination with the experts at the Delaware Division of Public Health and the Delaware Emergency Management Agency. Today’s emergency declaration will make sure we have the authority and resources necessary to effectively prevent the spread of this virus."
The State of Emergency does not require schools or businesses to close or implement any driving restrictions. And state office buildings remain open.
The order calls on Delaware National Guard to take precautionary and responsive actions to assist with Delaware’s response to the novel coronavirus at the direction of Delaware Emergency Management Agency (DEMA) Director A.J Schall and in consultation with Department of Health and Social Serives (DHSS) Secretary Dr. Kara Odom Walker. These actions will be considered "with respect to facility closures, isolation and quarantine measures, including quarantine of individuals or groups of individuals and such other measures they deem necessary to protect the health and safety of the public."
The order also advises event organizers to cancel non-esstential public gatherings of 100 people or more and allows the state to hold public meetings electronically to avoid unneeded public gatherings
The order prohibits price gouging or an excessive price increase of goods or services during the outbreak.
