Gov. John Carney gives a briefing in April.
Delaware is planning to test up to 80,000 state residents each month for COVID-19 and begin widespread contact tracing of positive cases to contain the virus as the state begins a slow reopening.
The state will partner with NORC at the University of Chicago, a nonpartisan research group that has also partnered with Maryland, to do the contact tracing. It will also hire 200 state residents to help and work with 100 members of the Delaware National Guard.
“To safely reopen our economy, we need to be able to quickly identify positive COVID-19 cases and reach out to those residents who may have been exposed. This contact tracing program brings us one step closer to returning Delaware to a new normal,” Carney said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Delaware agriculture officials have announced that farmers markets will be allowed to reopen Friday after being closed for nearly two months amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The Delaware Department of Agriculture announced the reopening Monday and detailed a series of protocols that would be enacted to help the sites operate safely.
Under the new rules, markets won't be allowed to host entertainment shows or activities and food trucks and prepared food won't be offered for consumption on-site. Instead, the markets will either be walk-throughs or drive-thrus, all customers must wear face coverings and visitors won't be allowed to handle items, among other measures.
