Carney: Bars at Delaware beaches to close ahead of July Fourth weekend due to coronavirus spike – The News Journal

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Gov. John Carney announced Tuesday afternoon that bars in Delaware beach towns will be ordered toclose Friday ahead of the holiday weekend, as the state has seen a spike in COVID-19 cases in the area.

Customers will nolonger be able to sit or stand at a bar, according to the new guidance. Instead, beachgoers will have to sit at a table and be served by a server.

This will affect taprooms and bar service in the following towns: Lewes, Rehoboth Beach, Dewey Beach, Long Neck, Bethany Beach, South Bethany, Fenwick Island, West Fenwick Island, Ocean View and Millville, according to the order.

This begins at8 a.m. on July 3 and lasts indefinitely, Carney said during his weekly press briefing.Restaurants will need to close their bar serviceand continue to follow the current phase two guidelines.

The city of Rehoboth Beach announced Tuesday that it will require people over the age of 12 to wear a face covering in all public places. Face coverings are not required when in the ocean. This order goes into effect 5 p.m. on July 1.

In recent weeks, tourists have poured into the beach towns of Rehoboth and Dewey, and even more crowds were expected for theFourth of July weekend. State health officials said they have identified at least 100 cases related to the beaches and warned about thepotential forwidespread infection in the state's coastal communities.

On Monday, the Rehoboth Beach Police Department announced that threelifeguards have tested positive for the coronavirus.

LEARN YOUR RISK: Delaware beach towns balance risks, economics during COVID-19

Some Delaware beach restaurants have closed their businesses due to the uptick in cases. The state has also significantly increased its testing capacity in these resort areas.

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State health officials attribute the recent increase in cases to a lack of social distancing and wearing of face coverings of those who go to the beach. Officials also noted that some restaurant servers have not been wearing face masks.

There's also a culture issue: Many of these workers are young people who live and socialize together, which can increase the likelihood of the infection spreading.

"Clearly we've had an outbreak among bars, restaurants, social activity in Delaware beaches," Carney said. "We've also witnessed throughout our statebut in particularly in beach communitiescomplacency with respect to mask wearing and social distancing."

As the country continues to see a rise in COVID-19 infections, many states have paused or reversed their reopening efforts. Carney announced last week that Delaware will delay the third phase of its reopening.

Gov. Phil Murphy of New Jersey announced Monday that indoor restaurant dining will be postponed indefinitely.In Florida, some counties have closed their beaches ahead of the holiday weekend.

Carney said during his Tuesday press briefing that the state does not plan to close the beaches orhalt indoor dining.But he said the state will become will be more aggressive in enforcing these guidelines.

This means some bars could face significant fines or even closure.

Carrie Leishman, president and CEO of the Delaware Restaurant Association, said she understands why Carney is imposing new restrictions, due to the spike in coronavirus cases among visitors and employees at businesses in the beach towns.

It's a setback for the bar and restaurant industry in that area, said Leishman, adding she is glad the new restrictions arent statewide. Ninety-nine percent of our industry are doing [things] the right way.

Steve"Monty"Montgomery, co-owner of the Starboard in Dewey Beach, said he found the announcement "disappointing" but not"totally shocking."

Early into the second phase, the Starboard staff "learned quickly that it was difficult to enforce folks to keep their masks on after 11 p.m." This led to the business to close before that time.

Montgomery said he wishes bars could have remained opened yet ordered to close at an earlier time. At Starboard, a lot of customers eat at the bars, he said.

"To lose that much seating is a real heartbreak, but we will continue on with table service for everyone and make the best of this situation,"Montgomery said.

"The amount of stress and pressure on everyone in the hospitality industry these days is totally over the top," he continued, "most every restaurant and bar that I know is working so hard to do the right thing, but there is still so much uncertainty."

As of June 30, Delaware has confirmed11,474 COVID-19 cases and 509related deaths.Since June 21, Delaware has seen a significantincrease in cases in the Rehoboth-Dewey Beach ZIP code. Many of these cases are in young people and beach residents.

Of about 1,081tests conducted at Rehoboth Beach site on June 25, about 9.5% of people were positive COVID-19, Karyl Rattay, director of the Delaware Division of Public Health, said. The average age was about 29 years old.

At a Dewey Beach testing site for restaurant employees, almost 15% of people tested positive for the virus, according to state data. Of the 93 tests conducted, 12 came back positive.

Of those who tested positive, many of the people had mild symptoms or were asymptomatic, Rattay said.

Carney said Delaware is in a much better position to fight the virus than it was in mid-March. The state is also in "much better shape" compared withplaces like Texas and California.

"If we get complacent, if we listen to the naysayers, then we're going to end up like some of those other states," Carney said."I don't want to be in that place, and I know Delawareans across our state don't want to be in that place."

Reporters Ryan Cormier and Patricia Talorico contributed to this article.

Contact Meredith Newman at (302) 324-2386 or at mnewman@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter at @merenewman.

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Carney: Bars at Delaware beaches to close ahead of July Fourth weekend due to coronavirus spike - The News Journal