State sets May 3 memorial ceremony for COVID dead

Betsy PriceGovernment, Headlines

A memorial tree and plaque will be unveiled during a Delaware COVID-19 memorial ceremony. Photo by Pascal Muller/Unsplash   The state will hold a memorial ceremony May 3 to remember the Delaware parents, siblings, children and friends  and those who have died so far because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and those whose lives have been affected by those losses. It …

State: Students should be tested for COVID after spring break

Betsy PriceHeadlines, Health

    With COVID-19 cases rising again, the state Division of Public Health and Department of Education are asking parents to have their children tested the day before they return to the classroom. Spring break for most Delaware schools will occur the week of April 18. Families can use over-the-counter tests — which some schools gave to student families during …

No Delaware hospitals plan to lift mask mandates soon

Betsy PriceHeadlines, Health

    Delaware hospital still require face masks to work or visit there. The hospitals issued a press release Tuesday to remind the public as state school and court masking rules were lifted this week. “While COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are declining, protecting immunocompromised and severely ill patients from COVID-19 exposure continues to be a priority for Delaware hospitals,” said …

Schools unlikely to lift mask mandate early, despite parent pleas

Betsy PriceEducation, Headlines

  Gov. John Carney announced Monday that he would lift his indoor mask mandate Friday — except for schools, where masks are required until March 31. On Tuesday, parent Benjamin Kennedy asked the Appoquinimink School District Board to not wait and to get rid of masks in schools on Friday. The next night, parent Brandon Bushon asked the Red Clay …

COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations continue to drop in Delaware

Betsy PriceHeadlines, Health

The number of new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continued to decline this week in Delaware. As of Thursday, Jan. 27, the Delaware Division of Public Health said the state has had a 57% decrease in the seven-day average of new positive cases reported since the peak of the surge on Jan. 12, 2022. It also reported: The total number of …

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Bayhealth employees face Feb. 28 vaccine deadline

Betsy PriceBusiness, Headlines

Bayhealth’s Sussex County campus   About one-tenth of Bayhealth Medical Center’s 4,100 employees have asked for an medical or religious exemption so they don’t have to take a COVID-19 vaccine. Most were for religious exemptions, and not many have been granted, based on federal guidelines about who qualifies, said Shana D. Ross, vice president of Human Resources, and Kevin Snyder, …

Carney extends school mask mandate through Feb. 8

Charles MegginsonEducation, Headlines

State mask regulations will remain in place at Delaware schools through Feb. 8.   Faculty, staff, students and visitors in Delaware’s K-12 public and private schools will be required to wear masks inside school buildings until at least Feb. 8, 2022.  Gov. John Carney announced Wednesday that he will extend the emergency mandate in order to keep children protected against …

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State to invest $110 million in expanding broadband ‘the last mile’

Charles MegginsonBusiness, Headlines

Sussex County legislators gather to look at broadband maps. Clockwise from top, Sen. Brian Pettyjohn, Rep. Jesse Vanderwende, Rep. Ruth Briggs King, Rep. Charlie Postles and Sen. Dave Wilson.   COVID-19 funds will pay for a $110 million Delaware investment aimed at guaranteeing high-speed broadband internet access for every home and business in the state.  The expansion project, announced Thursday …

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You’re not the only one who thinks traffic to, around beaches is worse

Charles MegginsonCulture, Headlines

  Dr. Beth Duncan says there are increasing numbers of accidents in front of her Lewes office.   Delaware’s beaches have seen traffic return to pre-pandemic levels — and then some, according to people driving the roads.  With the resurgence of tourism and rapid development of the coastal region, some locals say the summer of 2021 traffic has become worse …

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Nemours is 3rd health system to require employees be vaccinated

Charles MegginsonBusiness, Headlines, Health

Nemours Children’s Health System, which operates A.I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, has become the third healthcare network in Delaware to require COVID-19 vaccinations for employees. The healthcare network announced in a press release Friday that all employees must receive the first dose of a two-dose Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine …