Lewes expands face mask requirement
Lewes Mayor and City Council have expanded its requirement to wear face masks in public, now including the public beach parking lots, Roosevelt Inlet parking lot and when crossing the Savannah Road drawbridge. Face coverings are not required on the beach. Face coverings are still required when walking or riding in the downtown area – from the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal to Third Street and Savannah Road to Market Street.
The expansion will go into effect at 5 p.m., Tuesday, July 14. The face covering requirement is in effect from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. because those are the hours when social distancing may be difficult.
Deputy Mayor Fred Beaufait recommended the requirement be expanded to the entire city except the beach, but his colleagues argued social distancing is easily attained throughout most of Lewes.
“If I’m walking down the street and someone is coming the other way, we usually put our masks on or one of us crosses the street,” said Councilwoman Bonnie Osler.
Locations where face coverings are required are dense with limited opportunity to properly physically distance, Osler said.
Parking Supervisor Dennis Crawford recommended city officials consider adding beach parking lots to the face covering requirement after hearing from his staff that most people are not covering their faces when unloading their cars, paying for parking, or going to and from the restroom.
Nick Roth is the news editor. He has been with the Cape Gazette since 2012, previously covering town beats in Milton and Lewes. In addition to serving on the editorial board and handling page layout, Nick is responsible for the weekly Delaware History in Photographs feature and enjoys writing stories about the Cape Region’s history. Prior to the Cape Gazette, Nick worked for the Delmarva Media Group, including the Delaware Wave, Delaware Coast Press and Salisbury Daily Times. He also contributed to The News Journal. Originally from Boyertown, Pa., Nick attended Shippensburg University in central Pennsylvania, graduating in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He’s won several MDDC awards during his career for both writing and photography. In his free time, he enjoys golfing, going to the beach with his family and cheering for Philadelphia sports teams.
