With emergency orders ending soon, local healthcare workers feel this is a positive

DELMARVA- It’s been over a year since the first COVID-19 state of emergency orders were signed in Delaware and Maryland.

And after a long wait, those mandates will lift in July.

“We want to get back to whatever that normal is or that new normal is, we want to spend time with friends and family without masks on,” Dr. Bill Chasanov, Infectious Disease Physician at Beebe Healthcare said.

In Maryland, Governor Larry Hogan made the announcement that July 1 there will no longer be a statewide mask order.

The lift will start July 13 for Delaware.

Ending the mandates is something the Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nurse Executive at TidalHealth said she thinks is a good idea locally.

“Overall, in our Delmarva area we are doing really well, we have seen a significant decrease in our admissions for COVID-19 both here at TidalHealth Peninsula Regional and at our sister Hopsital TidalHealth Nanticoke in Seaford,” Sarah Arnett, VP of Patient Services and Chief Nurse Executive at TidalHealth, said.

She added that the decrease has a lot to do with people doing the right thing and getting vaccinated.

She said this time last year looked a lot different, as we were coming off a significant surge.

“We still had double digit COVID patients last year at this time, this time right now we are down to less than one hand which is exciting,” Arnett said.

And now with with numbers decreasing, and the emergency mandates and restrictions ending, Arnett said it’s something to look forward to.

“It allows our visitation process to open back up a little bit, it allows our patients to have the contact that they need with loved ones and family members, and to get out of the social isolation,” Arnett said.

A doctor from Beebe Healthcare also tells us there is a general decline in hospitalizations and, if people continue to get vaccinated and wear masks if they aren’t vaccinated, then maybe we won’t see a surge like last year once mandates end.

“I do not think that we will see the same type of surges that we’ve seen over really the past 15 to 16 months, anything’s possible,” Dr. Chasanov, said.

Beebe Healthcare said at the hospital they still have regulations to follow, like wearing masks.

And TidalHealth said because mandates are ending the licensure exemptions and grace periods will be ending too, so licensed folks in health care need to make sure they are up-to-date with their requirements.