PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — There's no more 10 p.m. curfew for bars and restaurants in Delaware as of this weekend. And winter sports are back too, a decision health officials were wrestling with for a while.
Even though Gov. John Carney said there weren't any major problems with fall sports in Delaware, "winter sports is another matter. It's indoors, close contact, basketball and wrestling in particular."
"I think we were pleased with the fall season," said Dr. Karyl Rattay, director of Delaware's Division of Public Health. "We saw some cases but we didn't really see much spread among sports teams."
Carney and DPH officials have been grappling with whether or not to allow competition again. He said a big reason for the uncertainty stemmed from club and tournament sports.
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"What didn't go so well, outside of the competition itself, we had issues with respect to parents and spectators who followed these children into these tournaments, not just in Delaware but in states around us," said Carney.
"We have had some outbreaks among some winter teams," added Rattay. "It's just that indoor setting for contact sports is riskier."
So the new rule is that only one person can accompany an athlete to a game. That person is not included in the 30% capacity limit for indoor sports. The limit applies to players, coaches and staff. No additional spectators are allowed.
If an athlete leaves Delaware for a game, they must self-quarantine for a week when they get back followed by a negative test.
The Division of Public Health can also end team activity if the team goes against state orders or develops a COVID-19 outbreak.