COVID-19 in Delaware: Some occupancy restrictions loosen starting Friday

Starting at 8 a.m. Friday, capacity limits at restaurants and other indoor venues will loosen as Delaware continues to see a decrease in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.

The order, signed last week by Gov. John Carney, will cap the occupancy of restaurants, retail locations, gyms, houses of worship, arts venues and other businesses at 50% of the stated fire capacity.

For some restaurants, gyms, houses of worship and retail locations, this is an increase from 30% capacity limits.

Other businesses, like Delaware's casinos, are seeing a decrease from 60% occupancy to 50%. 

Friday will mark the first time Delaware restaurants will be open to more than 30% capacity since Nov. 23, when capacity was cut down from 60% as coronavirus cases rose and state officials were concerned about the holiday surge that would follow.

The post-holiday months have brought encouraging virus-related news to the state. Cases and hospitalizations have rapidly declined in recent weeks. Delaware is averaging 392 positive cases per day over the last seven days. The number of people hospitalized as of Wednesday evening, 254, is down 46% from the Jan. 12 peak of 474 hospitalizations.

Through Thursday evening, more than 132,000 vaccine doses had been administered in Delaware.

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Contact Jeff Neiburg at jneiburg@delawareonline.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jeff_Neiburg.