Debate in Delaware over responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

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Debate over responses to coronavirus pandemic
Topics Elections • Protests • Religious service restrictions • School closures • State lockdowns • Testing
Arguments by topic Testing • Mask requirements • School closures • Travel restrictions • Lockdown/stay-at-home orders • Expansion of absentee/mail-in voting • Religious service restrictions
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Related coronavirus coverage Changes to elections • Federal responses • State responses

Ballotpedia is providing comprehensive coverage of how the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is affecting America's political and civic life. In addition to monitoring federal, state, and local responses to the coronavirus, we are also capturing the nationwide and local debates on whether to extend or lift coronavirus-related restrictions affecting the economy, schools, government operations, public health, religious services, and travel.

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This article covers the debate over continuing restrictions and closures in Delaware in response to the coronavirus pandemic. You will find the following:

Debate over stay-at-home orders in Delaware[edit]

See also: Debate over stay-at-home orders during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

This section includes a sampling of statements made by public officials, influencers, and stakeholders on the stay-at-home order in Delaware.

Governor John Carney (D) (WDEL): Governor John Carney said that re-opening Delaware’s economy would require increased testing and isolation of people with early symptoms of coronavirus.

"We'd like to test people with very early symptoms and get them isolated; we'd like to test people who've had a high-risk exposure, maybe seven days after their exposure, and if they're negative, they can more readily go back to work." - "What will it take to reopen Delaware? More testing," April 15, 2020.
Delaware House Republican Caucus (Delaware Online): The Delaware House Republican Caucus urged Gov. John Carney (D) to ease the state’s state-at-home order by re-opening businesses that follow “protocols to curtail the spread of the virus.”

"Each of us has been in contact with hundreds of anxious citizens, small business owners, and non-profit organizations that have all but exhausted their resources. … The heightened anxiety created by the loss of jobs and incomes will inevitably lead to spikes in stress-related problems, such as heart attacks, substance abuse, suicides, and depression." - "Delaware House Republicans call on Carney to 'restart our economy now' despite coronavirus," April 30, 2020.
Jonathan Starkey, spokesman for Gov. John Carney (D) (Delaware Online): Jonathan Starkey, spokesman for Gov. John Carney (D), responded to a letter from the Delaware House Republican Caucus, urging the governor to re-open the economy.

"No one wants to reopen our economy more than he does. … The Governor has been clear with legislators and with the public that we still face a very serious situation with COVID-19, especially in Sussex County." - "Delaware House Republicans call on Carney to 'restart our economy now' despite coronavirus," April 30, 2020.
Rick Hong, Medical Director at the Delaware Division of Public Health (WDEL): Rick Hong, Medical Director at the Delaware Division of Public Health, expressed concern that re-opening Delaware county by county would encourage the spread of the virus.

"We have looked at opportunities to open certain sectors of the state sooner, rather than later. but we do have to be concerned about travel. It's very easy to jump from one town to another town or one county to another county. If we recall how we ended up with COVID-19 in the United States, it was travel-related. We do have some considerations that maybe we can open some parts of the state sooner rather or later, but I can't say whether we're going to do that or not." - "Could Delaware's reopening happen county-by-county?," April 30, 2020.
Lisa Marie McCulley of Delawareans Against Excessive Quarantine (Delaware State News): Lisa Marie McCulley of Delawareans Against Excessive Quarantine explained her opposition to Governor John Carney’s stay-at-home order.

"We really truly believe that we have waited long enough. … The damage that has been done to our state, not just to our economy but to the people of our state. There are far more dangers to that than warrant the extreme quarantine that the governor has placed on us." - "Delaware group sets May 1 rally to oppose virus quarantine restrictions," April 18, 2020.
Gov. John Carney (D) (Delaware.gov): Gov. John Carney announced that Delaware would join the Eastern States Pact, a coalition that included Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island. (Massachusetts later joined.) He said he supported developing a coordinated plan to re-open the region’s economy.

"We still have a situation in Delaware that is getting worse. Infections of COVID-19 and hospitalizations are rising. Delawareans should stay home. Don’t go out in public unnecessarily. Don’t visit Delaware unless you need to see a doctor, or care for a family member. You’ll only increase everyone’s risk. … At the same time, we need to look forward. We need a consistent approach for moving our states out of this crisis, when that day comes. I’m grateful for the partnership of my fellow Governors in the region. They are all working around-the-clock to prevent surges in COVID-19 cases, protect hospital capacity for the most critically-ill patients, and save lives. We’ll get through this by working together." - "Governor Carney and Five Governors Announce Multi-State Council to Get People Back to Work and Restore the Economy," April 13, 2020.

Additional reading

"Governor Carney Releases Statement on Economic Reopening; Announces June 1 as Target for Phase I" - Delaware.gov, May 8, 2020
"Reopen Delaware to target Rehoboth Beach May 16" - Cape Gazette, May 7, 2020
"Delaware business owners face uncertainty about reopening" - Delaware Online, April 28, 2020

Debate over school closures in Delaware[edit]

See also: Debate over school closures during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

This section includes a sampling of statements made by public officials, influencers, and stakeholders on school closures in Delaware.

We have not yet identified any statements related to this topic or state. To suggest a statement, email us.

Debate over religious service restrictions in Delaware[edit]

See also: Debate over religious service restrictions during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

This section includes a sampling of statements made by public officials, influencers, and stakeholders on religious service restrictions in Delaware.

We have not yet identified any statements related to this topic or state. To suggest a statement, email us.

Debate over election policy in Delaware[edit]

See also: Debate over election policies and procedures during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

This section includes a sampling of statements made by public officials, influencers, and stakeholders on election policies in Delaware.

State Rep. Gerald Brady (D-4) (Delaware Business Now): Rep. Gerald Brady (D-4) explained his support for a bill (HB175), which he co-sponsored in the Delaware House of Representatives, that would provide for voting-by-mail in the primary and general elections.

"Voting is one of the most important duties we have as citizens of our state and country. I served our country in the military to protect every person’s rights, including the right to vote. And I believe that we should be doing everything in our power to ensure that as many people have the opportunity to vote. Our world has changed in these past few weeks, and we have to be ready to change with it. It’s critical Delaware is prepared to take whatever steps are necessary to protect our elections and people’s health. Having our vote-by-mail bill in a position to move forward at a moment’s notice is one thing we can do." - "Lawmakers file vote-by-mail legislation for upcoming elections," April 3, 2020.
Steven Rosenfeld (The National Memo): Steven Rosenfeld said that it was uncertain whether the supply of ballot scanners, paper, and envelopes could support a large-scale expansion of voting-by-mail in Delaware and elsewhere. He added that an additional obstacle to expanding voting-by-mail is that election boards often face protracted procurement processes. - "Election Officials Scrambling To Meet Pandemic Voting Challenges," March 27, 2020.

Responses to the coronavirus in Delaware[edit]

See also: Government responses to and political effects of the coronavirus pandemic, 2020 (Delaware)

Click the links below for more on responses to the coronavirus pandemic in Delaware.

General resources[edit]

The chart below shows coronavirus statistics from countries across the world. The information is provided by Real Clear Politics.

Click the links below to explore official resources related to the coronavirus outbreak.