City of Rehoboth Beach Requires Face Coverings Everywhere

The Rehoboth Beach commissioners unanimously voted in favor of requiring face coverings in the City at their June 30, 2020, special meeting. A second modification to the City’s Proclamation of Civil Emergency and Order includes that all persons within the City of Rehoboth Beach shall wear facial coverings in all public spaces. This includes all public streets, public sidewalks, public parks, the Boardwalk, the beach, and all commercial establishments. Face coverings are not required while actively bathing in ocean water. The requirement for face coverings goes into effect at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, July 1.

The decision was made based on recent news of the results Rehoboth Beach is seeing higher additional cases of COVID-19 being identified. Today Gov. John Carney’s modification to close eastern Sussex bars to limit the spread of COVID-19 in beach communities was also a decision making factor for the commissioners. City Manager Sharon Lynn made the recommendation to the commissioners. “As we are seeing right now, without these precautions, the community spread is real,” said Lynn. “The City has crowded streets and people who are not wearing masks and ignoring social distancing.”

Everyone over the age of 12 must wear a face covering over their nose and mouth in public places. The order applies to all persons and includes bicyclists. “We cannot afford another shutdown of our City, our businesses or restaurants,” said Mayor Paul Kuhns. “So we need each individual to make responsible decisions for the sake of our entire community – wear your mask when out in public.”

For more information, please contact the Communications Department at 302-227-6181 ext. 522 or [email protected].