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Tag: Mask Mandate

  • University of Delaware reinstates mask mandate for all indoor spaces

    University of Delaware reinstates mask mandate for all indoor spaces

    In light of rising numbers of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations around the country, including in Delaware over the past week, the University of Delaware is reinstating its masking requirement for all indoor spaces, effective at 8 a.m., Tuesday, May 24.

    Face masks must be worn indoors except when actively eating or drinking. This requirement applies to all UD-sponsored events, no matter the location on or off campus, as well as all indoor facilities, including residence halls, libraries, classrooms and other public/common spaces. Classroom and/or presentation speakers may remove their masks while presenting as long as they are more than six feet from others in attendance. Masks also continue to be required on all campus shuttles and University transportation services, as well as health care clinics.

    KN95 masks, which are recommended, are available to all UD students, faculty and staff at designated campus locations. This includes campus residence halls, the Trabant University Center, Perkins Student Center, the Morris Library and the Carpenter Sports Building. Those picking up a mask at these locations will need to show valid UD Identification. Faculty and staff can get masks from their individual departments or units. Detailed information about mask protocols is available on the UD coronavirus site.

    Members of the University community also can pick up home antigen test kits at various campus locations. Positive results should be uploaded to the UD Health Portal.

    As a reminder, COVID PCR testing is available from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. through this Thursday at Harker ISE Lab. Any members of the UD community who would like to get tested may register here.

    This is a special time of year with many celebratory events as we mark the end of the academic year at UD, including Commencement and convocations, so it’s important that we all take every step possible to safeguard the health of ourselves and those around us. This means wearing a face mask indoors, getting tested and staying home when you are sick. The masking requirement applies to everyone regardless of vaccination status or past testing results.

    UD officials will continue to monitor the spread of the disease. In the meantime, the face mask requirements will remain in effect until further notice.

  • Governor Carney responds to mask mandate lawsuit, says “no clear evidence” that masks hurt children’s learning

    Governor Carney responds to mask mandate lawsuit, says “no clear evidence” that masks hurt children’s learning

    In a 36-page response filed in court on Tuesday, four attorneys for Governor John Carney from the state’s Department of Justice say there is no legal ground for Hockessin attorney and Mom, Janice Lorrah, to sue over his mask mandate for school children.

     

    The attorneys are asking the court to deny Lorrah’s preliminary injunction.

     

    “Lorrah’s Motion must be denied because the balance of equities weighs strongly against the harm an injunction would cause to the public interest” attorneys argue in the court document, obtained by TV Delmarva.

     

    In the response, attorneys defend Carney’s implementation of the mandate to expire March 31 on the basis that COVID-19 is dangerous, but acknowledge that he has no legal ground to extend past March 2 because of the Emergency Powers Act limit of power expiring on that day.

     

    “The Fourth Revision advised that the Governor intended the mask mandate to be effective until March 31, 2022. However, the Governor acknowledges that the Fourth Revision has no legal effect after March 2, 2022 unless he takes further action. Thus, there is no controversy between the parties on Lorrah’s Date Claim.”

     

    However, attorneys argue that the Governor could simply extend the state of emergency and the date in question would never ripen.

     

    “Emergency powers are not an unlimited form of fiat that allows the executive branch to legislate without regard to procedural and constitutional protections,” Lorrah says in a response filed today in court. “This
    is not a political point of view; it is a question of fundamental liberties and government overreach.”

     

    Lorrah continues to say that “[Governor Carney] picked the March 31, 2022 school masking end date
    (beyond the duration of the current State of Emergency and beyond the 180-day limit of the APA emergency rule making authority) hoping that it would go unnoticed and now that his actions have been brought to light, all of the Defendant’s arguments based on post hoc rationalization.”

     

    Governor Carney also contends that Lorrah has no evidence that her or her child has suffered damages because of his mask mandate. In addition, attorneys cite CDC evidence that masks cause no harm to children.

     

    “There is far from a scientific consensus on this difficult and novel issue,” attorneys argue. “Indeed, the CDC continues to recommend “universal indoor mask use for students, staff members, and others in kindergarten through grade 12 (K-12) school setting” regardless of vaccination status. The CDC also continues to monitor and analyze research studies, including research indicating that “masks are unlikely to produce serious impairments of children’s social interactions.” The CDC has found that “[t]he limited available data indicate no clear evidence that masking impairs emotional or language development in children.”

     

    Governor Carney’s attorneys also argue that because of the public health risk of COVID-19, the general public far outweigh any individual issues as grounds for dismissal of the suit. They argue that invoking an injunction would “subject Delaware’s school system to undue hardship and risk.” Lorrah contends that due to establishing reasonable probability, the injunction should stand.

     

    A court date is set for Monday, February 28 at 9:00 a.m. at the Leonard L. Williams Justice Center in Wilmington.

     

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  • IRSD to vote on mask mandate Monday

    IRSD to vote on mask mandate Monday

    The Indian River School board is set to vote on an end to mask mandate on Monday, February 28th at its public meeting.

    The meeting will be held at Sussex Central High School at 7:00 p.m. with public comments prior to the vote.

    The district would be the second in Sussex or Kent County to decide on whether or not to leave masking at the discretion of parents. The Milford School Board voted on Wednesday to go mask choice by a 6-1 vote. The rule will go into effect once Governor John Carney’s mask mandate is set to expire at the end of March, or sooner.

    Cape Henlopen is set to vote on its own local regulation in March.

  • Milford School Board Votes To End Student & Staff Masking

    Milford School Board Votes To End Student & Staff Masking

    Parents, Teachers, and Concerned Citizens turned out to have their voices heard on student masking in the Milford School District. The Board voted 6-1 to end student masking, effective April 1st or sooner if Governor Carney lifts the mandate …..more details tomorrow.

  • BREAKING | Governor to lift indoor mask mandate Friday

    BREAKING | Governor to lift indoor mask mandate Friday

    Governor John Carney on Monday signed a revision to the State of Emergency, lifting Delaware’s universal indoor mask mandate effective at 8 a.m. this Friday, February 11, 2022.

    Governor Carney has also temporarily extended the mask requirement in public and private K-12 schools and child care facilities. That requirement, which applies to children kindergarten-age and older, will expire at 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, March 31, 2022.

    The temporary extension gives parents time to get their school-age children vaccinated before the expiration of the statewide requirement.

    The March 31 date also allows districts and schools time to consider local mask requirements, and gives the Division of Public Health (DPH) and the Department of Education (DOE) time to work with schools on updates to quarantine and contact tracing guidance.

  • BREAKING | Governor Carney issues mask mandate for all indoor spaces in Delaware

    BREAKING | Governor Carney issues mask mandate for all indoor spaces in Delaware

    Governor John Carney on Monday signed a revision to the State of Emergency declaration, requiring masks in all indoor public settings, including convenience stores, grocery stores, gyms, restaurants, bars, hair salons, malls, and casinos.

    The mask requirement takes effect at 8 a.m., Tuesday, January 11. Also on Monday, Governor Carney announced plans to extend the school and child care facilities mask requirements, and deployed additional members of the Delaware National Guard to assist with non-clinical operations inside Delaware hospitals.

    “Our hospital systems are facing a crisis-level situation with record numbers of Delawareans seeking emergency care. We need all Delawareans in the fight as we face this winter surge of COVID-19 to make sure our hospitals are not overrun,” said Governor Carney. “I know we’re all exhausted by this pandemic. But at the level of hospitalizations we’re seeing, Delawareans who need emergency care might not be able to get it. That’s just a fact. It’s time for everyone to pitch in and do what works. Wear your mask indoors. Avoid gatherings or expect to get and spread COVID. Get your vaccine and, if eligible, get boosted. That’s how we’ll get through this surge without endangering more lives.”

    Governor Carney also announced that the mask requirements in K-12 public and private schools and child care facilities, which had been set to expire in early February, will be extended. The extension will ensure that Delaware students can attend school in-person without consistent disruptions.

    Monday’s revision to the State of Emergency also eases State regulations to allow and incentivize recently-retired educators to return to the classroom as substitute teachers in an effort to keep children in school.

    Both the public and school mask requirements apply to anyone kindergarten age and older. Children aged 2-5 are strongly encouraged to wear masks in public indoor settings, including schools and child care facilities. Children under 2-years-old should not wear masks due to the risk of suffocation.

    Masks are not required outdoors or while eating or drinking in restaurants and bars, but otherwise should be worn. Churches and other houses of worship are exempted from the mask requirement.

    Businesses responsible for indoor settings open to the public are encouraged to provide disposable masks to customers who don’t have them – and to post signage about the indoor mask requirement.

    Also on Monday, Governor Carney deployed 70 additional members of the Delaware National Guard to assist with non-clinical operations inside Delaware hospitals statewide, beginning Tuesday.

    In total, more than 300 members of the Delaware National Guard are assisting with COVID-19 response efforts – including support at vaccination and testing locations, help with PPE distribution, and hospital assistance. Roughly 110 members of the Guard – separate from the 70 members deployed on Monday – are training to serve as certified nursing assistants in health care settings statewide to take pressure off hospital systems.

  • Governor Carney extends school mask mandate until February

    Governor Carney extends school mask mandate until February

    Governor John Carney has announced that the State of Delaware will extend the emergency masking requirement in public and private schools until February 8. ​

    The emergency masking regulation currently in effect is set to expire on December 10, with an option to extend the order another 60 days. The extension will be officially formalized later this month.

    “Delaware children from kindergarten through high school are now eligible for COVID-19 vaccination, which will go a long way in protecting the health of students, educators, and school communities statewide,” said Governor Carney. “It’s our hope that, by February, we will be able to lift the state mask requirement. Our focus over the coming weeks and months will be on increasing Delaware’s vaccination rates. That’s how we’ll finally move past this pandemic. These vaccines are free, safe, and extremely protective against the COVID-19 virus. Getting the shot will keep Delaware’s children protected, and keep them in school. I’d encourage all eligible Delawareans to get their shot.”

    More than 82 percent of all Delaware adults have received at least one shot of the COVID-19 vaccine, and more than 60 percent of all Delawareans are fully vaccinated, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

    The mask extension comes after the DOE proposed a regulation that would have essentially made masks permanent in schools for the time being.