Delaware Gov. John Carney Outlines Plan To Open Schools This Fall As State Is Removed From Travel Advisory Lists
DOVER, Del. (CBS) -- As Delaware is removed from a travel alert status, Gov. John Carney outlined a plan to open schools based on COVID-19 trends. People traveling from Delaware into Pennsylvania and New Jersey are no longer required to self-quarantine.
After a spike a couple of weeks ago, cases of COVID-19 have leveled off and now officials in the First State are focused on students.
Delaware Removed From New Jersey Travel Advisory List, 4 More States Added
"When people say we're opening schools in the fall and how are you doing that? The answer is, it depends on the health of the community," Gov. Carney said.
The governor says Delaware is aiming to reopen schools in late August or early September depending on the trend of COVID-19 cases.
There had been a spike linked to outbreaks at poultry plants and in beach communities, mainly among young people.
"Our cases are improving a bit, but we're still not where we were a month ago," Carney said. "A lot of the positive cases are with people who are non-symptomatic, who don't feel like they're sick. And it's disturbing because that's the first indicator for somebody to go and get tested but if you're not feeling sick, there's not as much of a motivation to get tested."
The spike in cases had Delaware briefly lumped with other states considered COVID hot spots on travel alert status. But Gov. Carney says New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York will no longer require people coming from Delaware to self-quarantine.
"There's really no comparison between the situation on the ground here in Delaware and the situation in those other states," the governor said.
State officials say Delaware has received $39 million from the CARES Act -- federal funding for schools in the wake of the pandemic.
The school reopening plan in Delaware will be based on a color-rated level of safety.
"A green category, which is the safest health condition in the state, a yellow category which is a hybrid of good and bad if you will, and a different approach, and then a red category which is keeping schools closed. And we don't want to be there under any circumstances," Carney said.
Delaware is still in Phase 2 of reopening with many businesses open with some restrictions in place.
The governor had delayed moving to Phase 3 and on Tuesday said there was still no timeframe for removing restrictions.
