 BETHANY BEACH, Del. - Bethany Beach is planning to buckle down on COVID-19 restrictions. The Town Council is holding a virtual meeting on July 1st to talk about steps to reduce the spread.Â
The council will be discussing and possibly vote on a measure that would require a mask on the boardwalk, boardwalk plaza, and the downtown commercial area (C-1 zone).
The town noticed a lack of compliance and misunderstanding with the Governor's order to wear masks.
Vice Mayor, Rosemary Hardiman, says, "because all of his orders, even though they have the force and effect of law, it's kind of cumbersome to enforce. So we felt that it would make more sense to have our own ordinance regarding facial coverings."
Hardiman says it will be an educational process, "If people stubbornly refuse to wear them, we have the authority to issue a citation ... We are hopeful that there are no citations, and that people will be cooperative, and the education will work."
If the ordinance is passed, the vice mayor says anyone who violates it could be fined anywhere between $50 to $150. The cost of a citation has not been decided yet.
"In the commercial district people don't wear them and don't want to wear them, and when they step on the beach, the second they get over the threshold they take them off. So if they want to wear masks they should have them on the beach as well. Or just have no masks entirely, it's a lose lose situation," says Jack Rutman, team member of Boardwalk Fries in Bethany Beach.
Town Council will also discuss events for the rest of the summer, trolley service, and restricting parking to limit crowds, which concerns local businesses.
"Please work with the businesses, don't think by taking parking places away, that it's helping. It's really not. People are going to come if they want to come, just make us wear masks, make us wash our hands, leave the businesses to be open," says Hope Orhelein, manager of Bethany Fine Arts Gallery.
Hardiman says it's a delicate balance, "because we empathize with our business owners, because we want them to do well. And we also have an obligation to keep the crowds down on the beach, so it's a balancing act and we have to see what happens tomorrow."
And a reminder to the community: "Don't bring coronavirus with them and don't take it away as a souvenir, and people properly social distance, and respect one another and have a good time," says Hardiman.
Refer to the instructions below from Bethany Beach Town Council.
Please access the link below to the webinar at or a few minutes prior to 2:45 PM on July 1, 2020. Upon access you will need to register to listen and comment on the meeting by providing your name, address, and Bethany Beach address (if applicable). You may comment by typing in the chat box shown on the screen during the meeting.
Join Zoom Meeting/Webinar:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_9IW6_vd0ToaTd15gz1IVXA
Meeting/Webinar ID: 893 8507 4961
