plazas along interstate 95 and delaware route 1. on may 22, governor carney allowed delaware beaches and community pools to reopen ahead of memorial day weekend. social distancing was enforced while masks were required on the boardwalk. june 2020 sign in rehoboth beach listing how to use the beach safely during the covid-19 pandemic on june 1, delaware entered phase 1 of its reopening plan. in this reopening phase, many businesses were allowed to reopen at 30 percent capacity, including restaurants, retail stores, shopping malls, museums, barbershops, salons, gyms, and casinos. in addition, outdoor gatherings of up to 250 people were allowed. with the move to phase 1, the ban on short-term property rentals along with the 14-day self-quarantine requirement for out-of-state travelers were lifted. on june 8, tattoo shops, massage parlors, and nail salons were allowed to reopen at 30 percent capacity. on june 15, delaware entered phase 2 of its reopening plan. in this reopening phase, businesses open in phase 1 were allowed to increase their capacity to 60 percent. in addition, childcare services were allowed to open to everyone after having previously been restricted to children of essential workers. on june 25, governor carney delayed entering phase 3 of its reopening plan, explaining that "too many delawareans and visitors are not following basic public health precautions." on june 30, governor carney ordered bars at delaware beaches to close indefinitely, beginning on july 3, ahead of the fourth of july holiday weekend. during the month of june, cases spiked in dewey beach and rehoboth beach. bars were prohibited from allowing customers to sit or stand at the bar, however, bars remained open to prepare drinks to be served to customers sitting at tables. july 2020 on july 24, governor carney allowed driver education services to resume and also allowed for senior centers to reopen at 30 percent capacity. august 2020 on august 4, governor carney announced that schools in delaware could reopen for the upcoming school year in a hybrid model that would use a mix of in-person and online instruction and that schools would be required to follow health and safety precautions. september 2020 covid-19 test site run by the delaware national guard in dewey beach on september 1, hospitalization rates were the highest they had been since july. the state's rolling average was recorded at 5.2 percent for the seven-day period, higher than the mark of 5.0 percent or below recommended by the world health organization. in his weekly press briefing governor carney said, "we want to be below percent we want to be going the other direction." governor carney also reported that he had spoken with dr. anthony fauci on a white house coronavirus task force call with other governors that past monday, august 31. fauci stressed exerting caution when it came to gatherings for the upcoming labor day weekend. on september 4, bars at delaware beaches were allowed to reopen ahead of labor day weekend. bar seating was required to be spaced out for social distancing, reservations were required for seating at the bar, and customers who wished to sit at the bar were required to order food. on september 15, 2020, the delaware division of public health, in partnership with the university of delaware, launched the covid alert de app. by exchanging an anonymous, randomly-generated digital code, the app uses bluetooth technology to alert users if they have been in close contact (less than six feet for more than fifteen minutes) with someone who has tested positive for covid-19. by september 19, the university of delaware vowed to crack down on social distancing violations amid the largest single-day spike of infections for the state, with 34 students testing positive for covid-19. october 2020 on october 9, university of delaware athletics suspended 19 members of its swimming and diving teams after they violated the city of newark's gathering limits related to the covid-19 pandemic. the students had attended a large indoor gathering at an off-campus residence on september 26. on friday, october 9, sussex county vocational technical school district officials announced that two teachers had tested positive for novel coronavirus covid-19. sussex technical high school, located in georgetown, closed for two days of deep cleaning and those who had been in touch with the teachers were notified for self-monitoring. on october 10, wilmington university announced that all courses would remain virtual through the spring 2021 semester due to increasing covid-19 cases as reported by delaware and the cdc. november 2020 on november 17, governor carney announced new restrictions due to a rise in cases, which are effective november 23. indoor gatherings at homes are limited to a maximum of 10 people, indoor gatherings outside of homes are limited to 30 percent capacity up to 50 people, outdoor gatherings are limited to 50 people, and indoor dining at restaurants is limited to 30 percent capacity. in addition, youth sports organizations, teams, and venues are prohibited from hosting or participating in tournaments with teams from outside of delaware effective december 1. on november 27, the delaware restaurant association posted photos of a crowded food court at the christiana mall on black friday. as a result, the state imposed a limit of 100 people at shopping mall food courts. december 2020 on december 3, governor carney issued a stay-at-home advisory from december 14 to january 11, 2021, asking residents not to gather indoors with people from outside their household. in addition, face coverings are required anytime people are indoors with people from outside their household. governor carney also recommended schools switch to all-virtual learning from december 14 to january 8, 2021, and return to hybrid learning on january 11, 2021. winter sports competitions are not permitted under the stay-at-home advisory. on december 10, governor carney announced additional restrictions to slow the spread of the virus, effective december 14. businesses larger than 100,000 square feet are limited to 20 percent capacity; most businesses and restaurants are limited to 30 percent capacity; retail smaller than 5,000 square feet, houses of worship, and funeral services are limited to 40 percent capacity; restaurants and bars must close at 10:00 pm; exercise classes at gyms are limited to 10 people while machines must be spaced ten feet apart; indoor gatherings at public places are limited to 30 percent capacity up to 10 people; and shopping mall food courts are limited to 20 percent capacity up to 100 people. on december 15, the first doses of the pfizer–biontech covid-19 vaccine in delaware were issued to healthcare workers. elisabeth cote, a progressive care nurse at bayhealth medical center in dover, received the first dose of the vaccine. in phase 1a of the vaccination process, healthcare workers, emergency management services personnel, and staff and residents of long-term care facilities were allowed to receive the covid-19 vaccine. january 2021 on january 8, governor carney lifted the 10:00 pm curfew for restaurants and bars and also allowed youth sports to resume at 30 percent capacity. on january 19, delaware moved the phase 1b of the vaccination process, which made the covid-19 vaccine available to people over age 65 and frontline essential workers including fire, police, correctional officers, teachers, education staff, child care providers, postal workers, food manufacturing workers, agricultural workers, transportation workers, and grocery store workers. the state continued to vaccinate people from phase 1a who had yet to receive the vaccine. february 2021 on february 4, governor carney allowed restaurants, gyms, retail stores, and some entertainment venues to increase capacity to 50 percent effective february 12. in addition, youth sports tournaments will be allowed to resume on february 12 if they have a safety plan approved by the state health department. march 2021 on march 16, the state expanded eligibility for the covid-19 vaccine effective march 17. starting that date, people age 50 and older are able to receive the vaccine through pharmacies, while people age 16 and older with high and moderate risk medical conditions and family caregivers of people with high and moderate risk medical conditions are able to receive the vaccine through medical providers and hospitals. on march 30, the state expanded eligibility for the covid-19 vaccine to all residents age 16 and older effective april 6. all adults can register for an appointment through a pharmacy, community vaccination site, or mass vaccination event, while medical providers will only vaccinate people age 16 and older with high and moderate risk medical conditions and disabilities. april 2021 on april 13, the state announced that medical providers will be allowed to vaccinate all residents age 16 and older, whether or not that have high-risk medical conditions. on april 27, governor carney increased the table size limit for outdoor dining to 10 people. in addition, the mask requirement for student athletes participating in several interscholastic sports was changed to require athletes to wear masks unless they are actively engaged in practice or game play. on april 28, during a virtual town hall meeting, governor carney and delaware public health director dr. karyl rattay announced that fully vaccinated people are no longer required to wear a mask in outdoor settings unless they are outside with a large group. may 2021 on may 4, governor carney and health officials announced several changes to covid-19 restrictions effective may 21. capacity limits for restaurants, businesses, and houses of worship will be lifted and such facilities will be allowed as much capacity as social distancing will allow. social distancing requirements will be reduced from 6 feet to 3 feet. customers must remain seated indoors and outdoors at bars and restaurants unless the state approves a plan allowing for dance floors. indoor and outdoor events over 250 people will still require plan approval from the state to ensure they comply with precautions to prevent the spread of covid-19. on may 14, governor carney announced the mask mandate will be lifted effective may 21 and that residents and visitors should instead follow cdc guidelines, which allow fully vaccinated people to not wear masks in indoor and outdoor settings, except crowded indoor settings such as public transit, airplanes, schools, healthcare facilities, prisons, and homeless shelters. unvaccinated people should still wear masks when around people from outside their household. on may 25, governor carney and the delaware division of public health announced a public education and incentive program called "de wins!" the would encourage people to receive the covid-19 vaccine. under the program, any delawarean vaccinated between may 25 and june 29 will be entered to win $5,000 and additional prizes in drawings held twice a week by the delaware lottery. in addition, on june 30, all delawareans who receive the covid-19 vaccine in delaware will be entered to win $302,000 and two low-number delaware license plates in a drawing held by the delaware lottery. july 2021 on july 13, the state of emergency declared in march 2020 in response to the covid-19 pandemic expired. august 2021 on august 6, the university of delaware announced that all students and staff will be required to wear masks in indoor spaces regardless of vaccination status. the university is also requiring all students be vaccinated by august 15; unvaccinated students and staff must get tested weekly starting august 15. on august 10, governor carney announced that all people in public and private k-12 schools and child care facilities will be required to wear masks indoors, regardless of vaccination status, effective august 16. on august 12, governor carney announced that effective september 30, all state employees and staff in healthcare and long-term care facilities will be required to provide proof of vaccination or be regularly tested for covid-19. september 2021 on september 28, governor carney announced that all employees in k-12 schools in delaware must receive a covid-19 vaccine or be tested weekly effective november 1. november 2021 on november 10, governor carney announced that the mask mandate for public and private schools will be extended to february 8, 2022. december 2021 on december 21, the de division of public health (dph) announced the introduction of a qr code for individuals when they download their covid-19 vaccination record. on december 23, us senator chris coons announced that he had tested positive and would quarantine. the university of delaware and delaware state university announced that they would require all returning students to receive a covid-19 booster shot before