Delaware is closing its beaches in response to the novel coronavirus outbreak – and more restrictions could follow soon.
Gov. Carney extended his State of Emergency order to include the beaches Saturday.
The closure will go into effect Saturday at 5pm and stay in effect until May 15th or until "the public health threat of COVID-19 has been eliminated."
It will not apply to those using the beach to exercise or walk their dogs as long as they follow CDC recommendations on hand hygiene and social distancing.
Carney was in the beach area Friday and says the move is base on what he saw firsthand.
“What I saw was disturbing, people just not paying attention to our advice about social distancing,” said Carney. “So we just needed to close those down for the safety of those people on the beach and the rest of Delawareans.”
Delaware’s number of COVID-19 cases hit 45 Saturday afternoon with several new cases in New Castle County and another in Sussex County.
New Castle County now has 32 cases. Kent County has a total of five cases and Sussex has eight.
Carney says he understands people may be lulled into complacency by the low case numbers right now – especially in Kent and Sussex – compared to other places around the country. But he calls that a mistake.
“They just can’t think that way,” said Carney. “We haven’t done enough testing to know where we stand.”
The state is poised to open testing sites in Wilmington, Newark, Dover, Millsboro, Frankford and Seaford Monday - operated by various hospitals - to help test people with symptoms of COVID-19 for free.
Patients need a prescription to be tested. Those with a medical provider will need to be evaluated by their provider first, preferably over the phone.
But even with those sites opening, Carney says reported case numbers will lag behind.
“There will be a delay in that reporting. So, we’ll always be a couple of days behind in regard to infection rates,” said Carney “What we see today is not what’s actually on the ground today in terms of the number of people infected.”
And Carney adds more restrictions are coming.
“We are absolutely considering tighter restrictions on businesses staying opening, on the movement of people in communities over the weekend and we’ll have an amended declaration by the end of the weekend that will go into effect early next week.
Carney says he is consulting with the governors of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland to try to keep the restrictions in place consistent throughout the region
