Sussex Co. declared COVID-19 hotspot in Delaware, expansion of community testing sites announced

WILMINGTON, Del. – On Tuesday, Governor John Carney declared Sussex County a hot spot for coronavirus in Delaware.

Carney also announced the initial schedule for the state’s Coordination and Care community testing sites, which will occur in several Sussex communities that are at the center of Delaware’s COVID-19 pandemic. Testing is geared to reach high-risk populations, including those with symptoms consistent with COVID-19, those living or working with someone diagnosed with COVID-19, family members or housemates of those working in the poultry industry, and those with chronic medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes, hypertension, or compromised immune systems.

Residents of Sussex County will receive emergency alerts on their phones through the Delaware Emergency Management Agency about the hot spot in Sussex County, as well as messages in partnership with the Delaware Department of Education and local school districts.

Officials tell us that each of the health care systems in Sussex County will be participating in this community testing effort, and there will be bilingual staff on site. The follow is a list of initially scheduled community testing sites:

• Hosted by Beebe Healthcare: Wednesday, April 29th. from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., in the parking lot between JD Shuckers and the Veteran’s Administration off of Route 404 in Georgetown
• Hosted by Bayhealth: Thursday, April 30th, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the DHSS State Services Center in Milford, 253 NE Front Street
• Hosted by Beebe Healthcare: Friday, May 1st, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., in the parking lot between JD Shuckers and the Veteran’s Administration off of Route 404 in Georgetown
• Hosted by Bayhealth: Saturday, May 2nd, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the DHSS State Services Center in Milford, 253 NE Front Street
• Hosted by Beebe Healthcare: Saturday, May 2nd, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., in the parking lot between JD Shuckers and the Veteran’s Administration off of Route 404 in Georgetown
• Hosted by Bayhealth: Monday, May 4th, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the DHSS State Services Center in Milford, 253 NE Front Street

Nanticoke Memorial Hospital also anticipates beginning community testing within the week and will provide details for their testing plan once details have been finalized.