Good afternoon,
Is Delaware ready for an increase in Covid-19 occupancy limits?
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan lifted limits on restaurants, bars, gyms, etc. Unlike some fellow Republican Sun Belt governors, Hogan retained masking requirements for public health and public safety reasons in business settings.
(Newsletter readers can check out the story below for further details)
Maryland has some room to maneuver since it has typically seen a modestly lower infection rate during the Covid-19 pandemic than Delaware and fared much better than Pennsylvania.
Our neighbor did struggle with Covid-related issues over the summer in Ocean City, and like Delaware, was hit with outbreaks in nursing homes that took many lives.
Hogan’s order comes with a provision that still requires social distancing at restaurants and bars. That will keep occupancy below 100 percent but will give owners and managers more flexibility.
Under Delaware’s mandates, dining establishments adhering to the emergency order more often than not end up with low occupancy rates that make the profitability difficult, if not impossible.
Sadly, there are a few establishments that loosely interpret the current mandate or ignore it altogether.
To date, Delaware has not been forthcoming about disclosing enforcement actions. The last update was in December.
Gov. John Carney and Public Health chief Dr. Karyl Rattay have been cautious in loosening restrictions,
If the current case and hospitalization numbers remain steady, using Hogan’s revised order as a starting point would provide a small boost for many businesses with minimal risks. Should things go south in one area, restrictions could be imposed.
Agree or disagree? Let me know. Simply hit reply to this newsletter and type away. – Doug Rainey, chief content officer.
