Covid-19: State keeps fingers crossed after Labor Day weekend

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It’s now a waiting game for  Delaware.

Gov. John Carney said Delaware, like the rest of the nation, will await test results coming out after the  Labor Day Weekend, a period with a large number of get-togethers.

The weather was pleasant throughout the period, leading to large crowds and beaches and boardwalks along the East Coast.

Carney said the state needs into the three percent range, well below Tuesday’s 4.5 percent rate of positive cases before moving into Phase 3. Phase 3 would allow more in-class instruction in schools and more workers returning to office settings.

The state did see a  higher rate of positive cases during the past week. 

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Delaware Division of Public Health Director, Dr. Karyl Rattay, reported that zip codes in the Newark and Bear-Glasgow areas showed an uptick in positive cases. The Newark zip codes have a sizable number of University of Delaware students.

An uptick in cases was also reported in a couple of Wilmington zip codes.

Rattay said the increase in cases in the University of Delaware area seems to be tied to group living and get-togethers, rather than a single outbreak tied to a party or other event.

Rattay also noted that the state is having some difficulty with contact tracing with some students being confused as to the agency doing the testing. In Delaware, the Division of Public Health, rather than UD is performing contact tracing work.

UD has not reported any surge in cases in its recently installed  dashboard.  Since Sept. 1, 40 cases have been reported among UD students, based on the dashboard information.

The public health director and Carney praised efforts by Newark and UD  Police in checking out parties and other events that might lead to the spread of Covid-19.

The press briefing also touched on a party in Bridgeville that was attended by hundreds of people.

The Carney administration has come under fire for not allowing a full reopening of schools and businesses.

Critics, including Republican candidates for governor,  claim that driving the rate down to five percent is sufficient to allow for a safe reopening.

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