Carney praises Delawareans as quiet Memorial Day weekend at the beach winds down

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Gov. John Carney praised the attitude and actions of Delawareans during a quiet  Memorial Day weekend and broadly  hinted that restrictions will be eased.

“I feel much more comfortable,” Carney said of plans to undertake “rolling reopenings” of businesses. Carney spoke at a short press briefing in the Lewes area.

Carney said he spent time in Rehoboth and was impressed with the actions of visitors local government officials and businesspeople.

Carney has taken heat for going as far as Ocean City, MD  in easing restrictions, with at least one owner of a second home filing suit over the restrictions.

Out of state residents who had not undergone a quarantine were not welcome during the weekend and hotels and short-term rentals were limited to travelers on essential business.

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Carney said he “feels the pain” of small businesses that have made major sacrifices, but again emphasized that he did not want to see the effort be in vain if  outbreaks tied to the beach economy occurred.

The governor  stopped short of saying that restrictions on short-term rentals will be eased in June, but indicated that he was “leaning in that direction.”  He added that  an announcement will come on Tuesday.

Carney said the beach rental market typically strengthens during the period leading up to the July 4th holiday. Vacations often don’t begin until later in the month, since school extends into June.  

Sussex County has been going through an outbreak of the virus in areas around poultry processing plants, not far from the beach. Carney said the outbreak remains an area of concern but noted that less than 10 percent of poultry workers have been testing positive for coronavirus, compared to 30 percent or more earlier. 

You can view the press briefing below:

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