Gov. John Carney is starting to discuss plans to reopen the state. But, he continues to warn not anytime soon.
At his Friday briefing, Carney reiterated he will largely follow CDC guidelines in his decision-making process.
"So, declining trends in number of cases or percentage positives, the ability to test and do contact tracing on the ground, the ability to protect frontline healthcare and healthcare workers and first responders, and hospital capacity in place if we need to address a surge," Carney said.
Cases are still rising, especially in Sussex County, and Delaware Emergency Management Director A.J. Schall says hospitalizations are also trending up - causing concerns.
"Last week, two of the hospitals in Sussex County had individuals that were walking into the hospital and within hours were already in the intensive care unit. And, that’s what is going to really impact the hospital system and that’s not good for their healths," Schall said.
Schall said the state still has several hundred hospital beds available statewide and they are paying specific attention to Sussex County. They're working to do outreach there to get people not feeling well to contact their primary care physician or go to hospital for assistance sooner rather than later.
While the state waits to hit the benchmarks necessary to start the re-opening process, the Carney administration plans to hold town halls starting next week to get input from small business and the public on a phased reopening plan.
Carney also updated his State of Emergency order Thursday to allow more out-of-state health care workers to come assist in Delaware’s pandemic response.
Anyone who previously held a medical license in the U.S. can volunteer to work in Delaware as long as they have proper training and their license was in good standing for five-years before it expired or lapsed.
The change also applies to pharmacists, respiratory therapists, physician assistants, paramedics, emergency medical technicians, and nurses.
Out-of-state providers must register with the Medical Reserve Corps to volunteer in Delaware.