Hello friends and neighbors,
We’re less than 24 hours away from the start of the 151st General Assembly!
This year, for the first time ever, you’ll be able to watch from home as we swear in new and newly-elected Senators, formally elect a President Pro Tempore and confirm our new Secretary of the Senate, starting at 2 p.m.
To watch live, look for the Live Proceedings section in the upper right of the Delaware General Assembly’s homepage. Or if you want to come back later to watch, recordings of past proceedings will be available by clicking on the Meetings and Archives link, or simply by clicking here.
We’ll be meeting virtually through at least January, as the COVID-19 pandemic begins to surge again in the wake of the winter holidays. New cases rose to post-Thanksgiving levels last week while new hospitalizations have also started to creep up again.
Governor John Carney announced Friday that he is continuing the stay-at-home advisory and the universal indoor mask mandate for at least another 30 days, while lifting some restrictions on bars, restaurants and sports competitions. He’s asked school districts to return to a mix of remote and in-person instruction.
Medical offices and pharmacies throughout Delaware are currently signing up to administer the vaccine to the next group of recipients, which will include seniors, first responders, teachers and frontline essential workers. Seniors should contact their medical providers now to ask if they are or plan to vaccinate patients.
In the meantime, continue protecting yourself, your family and your community by wearing a mask whenever you leave home, practicing social distancing around anyone outside your immediate household, washing your hands often and getting tested regularly.
In this newsletter, you will find updates on:
- Testing sites in our area
- Changes to the COVID restrictions
- Additional assistance for local businesses and nonprofits
- The latest news on Delaware’s vaccination plan
- And more
Be well and stay safe,
Jack Walsh
Senator, 9th District
THE LATEST COVID-19 DATA IN DELAWARE
The cumulative number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Delaware since mid-March reached 65,273 today – a 9.7% increase from one week ago. Statewide, the rate of infection is now 695.9 cases for every 10,000 people.
After a brief plateau, hospitalizations are on the rise once again. As of this morning, there were 472 people in the hospital with COVID-19, up 12% from last week. The number in critical condition rose to 62.
Delaware documented 42 new Coronavirus-related deaths over the last week, bringing the total number of fatalities to 972 – a one-week increase of 4.5%. Of those who have lost their lives in the past 10 months, 53.5% were residents of long-term care facilities.
Visit Delaware’s Coronavirus Data Dashboard for all the latest information about COVID-19’s spread throughout the First State.
CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE STATE-LEVEL DATA
GET TESTED NOW, GET TESTED OFTEN
With COVID-19 again spiking after last month’s holidays, it’s more important than ever to make a plan for getting tested.
More fast, free and convenient testing sites are available in our area than ever before.
Click here for a full list of state-run and community testing sites available in your area.
Walgreens is also offering test sites across the state. Click here to check available locations and reserve an appointment.
Seniors and other high-risk populations are encouraged to request at-home test kits that can arrive in three days or less. You’ll need to download Zoom to your smartphone or electronic device to complete the test. Click here for more information on how to request an at-home test kit.
COVID GUIDELINE UPDATES FOR BUSINESSES AND SCHOOLS
Governor John Carney made two big announcements last week regarding COVID-19.
While he extended several restrictions – including the stay-at-home advisory and the universal mask mandate – to combat the winter surge in new cases and hospitalizations, the governor also lifted the 10 p.m. curfew imposed on bars and restaurants late last year.
The modification announced Friday also allows athletic competitions to resume as long as in-person attendance by spectators is strictly limited.
Governor Carney also joined with top health and education officials in urging Delaware schools to return to a mix of remote and in-person learning one month after recommending school districts pause their hybrid models to work out any lingering operational issues.
The governor believes students learn best in school and contends the data shows there is a reduced risk of community spread among young people. The state educators union, however, remains concerned teachers and staff could be exposed.
There are no easy answers here. We know many young people struggle with remote learning and would benefit from the option of returning to school. The concerns of teachers and staff are also valid and we have said so for several months now.
Each school board must now make the decision they think is best for their students and educators. My hope is every district or charter school will look carefully at the spread in their communities and then work collaboratively with educators to develop the best solution for students, families and staff.
DE RELIEF GRANTS SET TO RETURN JANUARY 19
Applications for DE Relief Grants will be accepted once again starting at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, January 19.
This vital resource for businesses fighting to stay open during the pandemic was paused in December while Delaware awaited a new round of federal CARES Act funding.
Small businesses and nonprofits that have not applied in earlier rounds will now be able to seek these federally funded grants to cover rent and utilities, debt refinancing and safety upgrades.
LEARN MORE ABOUT DE RELIEF GRANTS
SECOND PHASE OF VACCINATIONS COMING SOON
The Delaware Division of Public Health is working hard to roll out vaccinations for the next round of eligible groups by late January.
Anyone 65 or older will be eligible for vaccination in Phase1b, which is expected to begin by the end of January. First responders, teachers and school support staff and other frontline essential workers also will be included in this group.
DPH is working quickly to identify and help enroll medical offices and pharmacies willing to vaccinate older Delawareans and other groups as the vaccine becomes available to them.
Due to limited supply of the vaccine, everyone in this group may not be able to be vaccinated immediately. Contact your medical provider now to determine if they will be vaccinating patients.
Check back for more information, including possible vaccination sites, as those details are finalized.
In the meantime, you can submit all of your questions about the COVID-19 vaccine to the DPH call center open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. You can reach the call center at (302) 672-6150 or email your questions to Vaccine@delaware.gov.
HELP DELAWARE RECOVER BY JOINING THE MEDICAL RESERVE CORPS
Volunteers are needed to help bolster the rapidly growing vaccination infrastructure Delaware needs to deliver inoculations to nearly every resident by the end of the year.
The Delaware Medical Reserve Corps is a volunteer group of medical professionals, mental health professionals and everyday people willing to dedicate their time to help our state recover from this pandemic.
Any community member ages 18 and older can offer their services to help register Delawareans for vaccinations, manage traffic and process data.
Please consider helping your community heal today.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION
VIRTUAL MLK DAY OF SERVICE
The teachings of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. are as vital today as they were during his lifetime, whether it’s his sermons about love, race, poverty or war.
The federal holiday celebrating his life could not fall on the calendar at a better time for those of us in the Delaware General Assembly. Just as we begin our new session, we join with our neighbors each year for a day of service – a perfect reminder of the selfless commitment to community, equality and fairness that should always drive what we do in Legislative Hall.
Like so many of our sacred holidays, MLK Day will be a bit different this year. But our dedication to those causes will not be abated.
The State Office of Volunteerism and Volunteer Delaware have made sure we can still engage in acts of service to our community virtually.
Please consider registering for this full-day event where volunteer leaders from across the state will demonstrate a wide variety of ways we can still serve. The livestream will begin at noon and continue until 8 p.m. with the final hour dedicated to celebrating the 2020 Governor’s Outstanding Volunteer Award honorees and hearing the stories of volunteers who have gone above and beyond in their service to our state.