DPH Sliding in my DMs 1

DPH will text you if you test positive for COVID-19

Charles MegginsonGovernment, Headlines, Health

The Delaware Division of Public Health now plans to text you if you have COVID-19. The DPH Contact Tracing Team has launched a pre-call text messaging initiative to individuals who test positive for COVID-19.  It involves sending a text message to COVID-positive individuals and providing initial isolation guidance and recommendations through a secure web platform before they receive a call …

a view of a house with Delaware Legislative Hall in the background

Legislative Hall to reopen to the public

Charles MegginsonGovernment, Headlines

The leaders of the Delaware House of Representatives and Senate plan to open Legislative Hall to the public effective immediately, they said during a committee meeting Thursday. Speaker of the House Rep. Pete Schwartzkopf and Senate President Pro Tempore Sen. Dave Sokola plan to announce the building’s opening later Thursday or Friday.  “My intent is open to building up, get …

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Judge denies motion to stop school mask mandate after case becomes moot

Charles MegginsonGovernment, Headlines

A Chancery Court judge denied a Hockessin mom’s motion for a preliminary injunction to stop the governor’s statewide school mask mandate after the governor announced the mandate would be lifted Tuesday. Vice Chancellor Paul Fioravanti late Monday said he could not find sufficient evidence that leaving the mandate in effect until 6 p.m. on Tuesday would cause the plaintiff irreparable …

John Carney wearing a suit and tie smiling at the camera

Carney lifts school mask mandate while trial to end it is underway

Charles MegginsonGovernment, Headlines

LEFT: JANICE LORRAH. RIGHT: GOV. JOHN CARNEY A Hockessin mother suing to stop the state’s school mask mandate got most of what she wanted in the middle of trial Monday when the governor’s attorney informed the court that the mandate would be lifted on March 1 at 6 p.m.  Janice Lorrah appeared in the Delaware Court of Chancery at the …

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Hockessin mom sues to end Carney’s school mask mandate

Charles MegginsonGovernment, Headlines

JANICE LORRAH A Hockessin mother has filed a lawsuit in the Delaware Court of Chancery challenging Gov. John Carney’s extension of the state’s school mask mandate. The universal indoor mask mandate for the general public expired on Feb. 11 following a sharp decrease in cases since the height of the COVID-19 omicron variant surge. Although that mandate was lifted, Carney …

a man standing in front of a blue car parked in a parking lot

DEMA gets $85.6 million from FEMA for COVID testing, reporting

Charles MegginsonGovernment, Headlines, Health

The Delaware Emergency Management Agency announced Thursday that $85.6 million in federal funds have been made available for reimbursement of COVID-19 testing and reporting costs. The funds, issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, will reimburse the state agency for emergency protective measure costs incurred between Oct. 12, 2020 and Sept. 12, 2021. According to DEMA, approximately $3.08 million of …

a sign on the side of a building

Delaware mask mandate to expire Friday, Feb. 11

Charles MegginsonGovernment, Headlines, Health

Gov. Carney’s universal indoor mask mandate will expire Friday, Feb. 11/Getty Images Delaware’s universal indoor mask mandate will expire at 8 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 11. Gov. John Carney on Monday revised the State of Emergency order citing the sharp decrease in cases since the height of the omicron variant surge. While masks will no longer be required inside many …

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Renter, landlord advocates disagree over solutions to eviction crisis

Charles MegginsonBusiness, Government, Headlines

Lawmakers and advocates say a new Delaware Supreme Court rule that allows tenants to be represented by non-lawyer advocates in eviction proceedings will create parity with landlords and mitigate some of the most harmful effects of housing insecurity. Opponents, including the Delaware Apartment Association, the non-profit group that represents the interests of multi-family rental unit landlords, say efforts and money …

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Delaware Restaurant Association issues dire plea for help

Charles MegginsonBusiness, Headlines

The organization that represents restaurants in Delaware said the industry is far from being out of the woods after two years of the COVID pandemic. The Delaware Restaurant Association’s 2022 ‘State of the Restaurant Industry’ report found that restaurants continue to struggle to keep their doors open amid a surge in coronavirus cases, inflation, a labor shortage, and supply chain …

Pfizer COVID Vaccine Orange Vials 1

Bayhealth to require vaccines for all staff

Terry RogersHealth

by Terry Rogers     Bayhealth is now requiring all employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine under new federal regulations As many hospitals began requiring all staff to be vaccinated for COVID-19, Bayhealth was one of the few healthcare systems who allowed their staff to either be vaccinated or submit to weekly tests under the recommended CDC guidelines. With a …

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A perfect storm for schools, teachers: No subs, bus woes, COVID

Betsy PriceEducation, Headlines

The principal at Southern Elementary School has had to find as many as 25 substitutes for teachers on one recent day. He has 60 classrooms. By 5:30 a.m. on school days, Jeffory Gibeault is already up and wrestling with how to man his classrooms. The principal of Southern Elementary School in New Castle has had to cover as many as …

a person sitting at a table using a laptop computer

General Assembly committee meetings to stay virtual

Charles MegginsonGovernment, Headlines

Delaware House and Senate committee meetings will be held virtually throughout the month of January. Delaware House and Senate leaders announced Friday that all legislative committees will meet virtually throughout the month of January when the General Assembly returns to session Tuesday, Jan. 11.  House Speaker Pete Schwartzkopf, D-Rehoboth, and Senate President Dave Sokola, D-Newark, said the decision was made …