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With a surge in new positive COVID-19 cases hitting the state, Governor John Carney warns that a return to stricter regulations may be possible. Speaking at a press conference on Nov. 11, Carney said: “We have decisions to make because we have basically too many of our neighbors who attend gatherings – mostly social gatherings, informal gatherings – can -be in private homes or their own homes, without a mask. and other precautions. The governor said he was referring to information gathered during contact tracing interviews.
As cases nationwide hit new records, the state’s seven-day new case average is 241 per day, up from 100 new cases per day at the end of summer. Carney said the increase is largely in the 18-34 age group and is mainly due to an increase in large informal social gatherings.
“I’ve asked the Division of Public Health to look at what other states are doing around us to accommodate some of the restrictions we had before. [and] to come up with ideas that focus on where the problem really lies, ”Carney said.
State health officials are urging residents not to hold large Thanksgiving gatherings.
“The spread of COVID-19 is happening at social gatherings, weddings, church services, house parties and indoor dining in close groups,” said Karyl Rattay, director of the Health Division Delaware public. “If I had to choose one behavior that I think is causing a lot of cases, it’s that people eat indoors. This is really causing a lot of the spread that we are seeing in our state right now. So we need to understand how we approach social activities because this is how the virus is spread and the recommendations won’t be what people want to hear.
“COVID-19 does not primarily spread in schools. The spread really occurs outside of the school setting. The spread at school is really rare, ”she says.
Rattay made the following suggestions:
• Dine only at home and in a restaurant with people who live with you
• Don’t spend time with people outside your household
• Do not plan to organize the holiday dinner with people outside your household.
“It is important that we do everything we can to reverse the trend now. We’re looking at the possibility of further restrictions and we need to really target those restrictions on where we see this spread, so reducing the number of people at public and private gatherings is on the list. We may need to consider restrictions on athletic activities, maybe indoor activities or tournaments where there is a lot of mixing or other updated mask requirements. We’re telling you now because that’s not what we want to do. We don’t want to be in a position where we have to put in new restrictions, ”said Rattay.
Church lawsuit against Carney settled
A federal civil rights lawsuit against Governor Carney challenging the restrictions he placed on worship services earlier this year has been settled.
The lawsuit claimed that the limitations imposed on churches at the start of the COVID-19 crisis were more severe than those imposed on retail businesses. Among other things, the orders issued under the state of emergency limited the number and ages of people who could attend services, as well as the manner in which those services could be delivered.
The terms of the settlement include: churches should be designated as essential; restrictions on religious rituals, such as baptism or communion, are prohibited; no attendance based on age; no specific time limit on the duration of the services; no limitation to one service per week; the use of the presence limit of 10 people is prohibited; and the wearing of masks and social distancing cannot be imposed only on religious worship.
State’s first influenza case confirmed
The Delaware Division of Public Health has announced the state’s first laboratory-confirmed influenza case for the 2020-2021 influenza season. The case concerns a child under 5 from Kent County.
“The flu shot will not prevent COVID-19, but it is effective in preventing the flu. The flu shot decreases the number of people who need to be treated for the flu. This means that more supplies, resources and medical professionals will be available on the front lines to fight the pandemic. By eliminating the need to visit your provider’s office or be hospitalized for the flu, you help reduce the risk of frontline workers getting sick, ”said Rattay.
The vaccine is recommended for 6 months and older. During the 2019-2020 influenza season, Delaware recorded more than 7,000 cases. Almost 400 Delawareans have been hospitalized with the flu and 11 people have died from complications from the flu.
The flu clinic schedule is available at dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/fluclinics.html. Flu shots are also available from doctors’ offices, many pharmacies, and some grocery stores. To locate where flu shots near you are available, search for “CDC Flu” on Google and enter a zip code.
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