REHOBOTH BEACH, Del - The Rehoboth Beach Commissioners voted unanimously during Tuesday's meeting to require face coverings in all public areas. The move is the second modification to the Civil Emergency and Order and also comes on the heels of Governor John Carney's decision to close bars in beach communities beginning July 3.
The face covering requirement goes into effect on Wednesday July 1 at 5:00 P.M. People are required to wear the coverings on all public streets, sidewalks, parks, the Boardwalk, the beach, and all businesses. This also includes bicyclists.
“As we are seeing right now, without these precautions, the community spread is real,” said City Manager Sharon Lynn. “The city has crowded streets and people are not wearing masks and ignoring social distancing.”
The mask requirement has been a challenge for the Rehoboth Beach Police Department. During the Commissioner's Meeting, Police Chief Keith Banks spoke to a number of incidents of push back from people when confronted about not complying with face covering policies that are already in place.
"We need to set a tone and issue some fines so people start taking it seriously," Commissioner Edward Chrzanowski said. "We need signage out there that says there are penalties if you are not adhering to the rules."