A Delaware State University professor believes Gov. John Carney made the right call putting Phase 3 of Delaware’s reopening plan on hold.
Carney issued a statement Thursday saying he wants to get a better handle on what’s going in Delaware and around the country before moving to Phase 3.
Donna Patterson is the chair of history, political science and philosophy at DSU, and an expert on global health and epidemics. She says the governor took everything into account.
"I think clearly he took into account not just the economic aspects but also the larger public health aspects," said Patterson. "I know that a lot of people want to get back to work, a lot of owners want to reopen, but if a large segment of the population, the owners and the workers are sick - long-term this is going to have a greater economic impact on the state."
Patterson adds it’s clear people are not sticking to face covering guidelines.
"They're either not wearing them, they're not wearing them properly, they're taking them down to speak on their phones, or they're just putting them in their hands and putting them around their throats and just wearing them off of their faces as soon as they get through the store." Patterson said.
Patterson says the situation at senior week where several tested positive for COVID-19 and about a hundred others were exposed could be because youngsters tend to feel invincible.
"People who are younger generally feel like they're more immortal anyway. So, then adding this pandemic to the mix, you definitely see some of that. But they're not the only ones not wearing masks as they should or social distancing as they should," said Patterson. "I think the larger issue looking at people who are younger and our students is what this looks like moving forward. To even be able to reopen the schools, the universities in the state we have to get to Phase 3."
Patterson adds it is disappointing that wearing masks and social distancing is becoming more of a political issue than a health issue.
Patterson also says the restaurants at the beaches closing or scaling back this weekend is the right thing to do to ensure safety for everyone involved when they see people not abiding by social distancing and face covering guidelines.
Gov. Carney says he expects to make a call on moving to Phase 3 early next week.
