Good afternoon,
Gov. John Carney is accustomed to criticism from skeptics over coronavirus emergency orders.
Now, he’s getting blowback from the other side over yesterday’s voluntary stay at home advisory and leaving decisions to return to remote learning in public schools to the individual districts.
Results this afternoon showed more than 900 new positive tests for the virus – nine times the low point posted over the summer.
Another concern is the continuing 60 percent occupancy limit at retailers, big box stores, and malls.
Carney and state public health officials face a torrent of positive cases of Covid-19 and a troubling uptick in hospitalizations.
The encouraging news is that critical care cases have not increased as sharply as overall hospitalizations.
The governor and public health officials recommend that schools return to remote learning from the middle of this month until Jan. 11.
Some of the blowback centers on the state “moving the goalposts” in looking at metrics used to determine school conditions.
Critics also suggest the governor left school administrators and board members subject to the criticism of parents – a few of whom question the virus’s existence.
School reopening metrics on the state coronavirus website do not look good, and a return to full classrooms is a distant dream.
On the plus side, signs of spread related to schools have been less than expected, due in part to a cautious hybrid model, which puts a priority on younger children getting in-class instruction with mask-wearing enforced.
Still, the spread of the virus outside the classroom is increasing, and it is only a matter of time before the surge is felt inside the walls of schools. We have already seen signs of temporary closings of schools once cases are detected.
Carney is left with few tools other than strongly worded advisories and a holiday ban on sporting events. A reduction in capacity drew a fierce response from the state’s restaurant association and will have a big impact on many establishments’ future.
Stay at home orders with enforcement teeth would not work as holiday travel will continue, despite advisories to the contrary.
Some of the tools available earlier in the pandemic (CARES Act. Payroll Protection Program etc., expanded jobless benefits) are fading away. We’ll see if further help is on the way. – Doug Rainey, chief content officer.
