Gov. Carney announces statewide COVID-19 testing plan

DELAWARE – Governor John Carney announced on Friday a state wide COVID-19 testing plan to screen and test all patients who show symptoms, at no cost. The only requirement is they get referred by a state hotline or physician.

The governor also says the state is working with all hospitals to make sure they’re prepared and have enough beds, even if that means setting up temporary beds. He says protocols like closing schools and limiting restaurants are all to prepare for a worst possible scenario, something that hopefully won’t happen if we all take the right precautions.

“There’s going to be a lot more testing. It’s happening now. Which means we’re going to get a lot more positive cases and people need to understand that we’re always a couple of days behind the actual situation,” says Gov. John Carney.

“We have to think about how to social distance and act as if we have the virus. Act as if we could pass it along because that will prevent the spread of coronavirus,” says Dr. Kara Odom Walker, the Secretary of Delaware Department of Health and Social Services.

Friday’s press conference was held at Cape Henlopen State Park and the governor made note of how crowded it was because it was such a nice day out. He says he’s not ruling out the possibility of closing places like the beach if it appears that people aren’t practicing social distancing.

47 ABC also asked the governor about the state’s actions in comparison to the aggressive actions of its neighboring states like Maryland. Carney says he’s working closely with other governors but says he’s responding with the level he feels appropriate given the current state of affairs in Delaware.

If you don’t have access to a health care provider, you can still call the Department of Public Health Coronavirus Call Center to see if you meet the criteria for testing. That number is 1-866-408-1899.