May 4
UD announces voluntary pay-cuts for FY ’21
Today, in a statement sent to faculty and staff, University of Delaware President Dennis Assanis shared that he and other administrators will be voluntarily forgoing portions of their salaries.
The president, provost and executive vice president will have 10% cuts in their salaries for Fiscal Year 2021, and all members of the UD senior leadership team, including all vice presidents, deputy and vice provosts, deans, chief investment officer, executive director of campus and public safety, chief of police, athletic director and football and men’s and women’s basketball coaches are taking salary cuts of 5%.
Dr. Assanis expressed gratitude to members of the leadership team for the personal sacrifice they have taken and their continued commitment to the school.
DPH updates COVID-19 numbers through Monday, May 4
The Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) announced 80 new positive cases have been confirmed and that 5 more Delawareans — 182 in all — have passed away due to complications from COVID-19. The deceased range in age from 32 to 103 years old.
As of May 4, the state’s COVID-19 case statistics cumulatively since March 11 include 5,288 total laboratory-confirmed cases — 1,934 of them in New Castle County, 833 in Kent County and 2,497 in Sussex County. The state said preliminary data based on reporting by state and commercial laboratories, indicate there have been 18,822 negative cases.
There are 281 Delawareans who are currently hospitalized, with 68 in critical condition. To date, 1,716 Delawareans who have tested positive have recovered.
Chicken Caucus pens letter urging USDA to support chicken agriculture
U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), co-chairs of the Senate Chicken Caucus, led a letter to the Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) highlighting the severe impacts of COVID-19 on the poultry industry, requesting direct assistance for chicken growers and continued support for processing facilities.
“When [the] USDA allocates $16 billion in direct assistance for agricultural producers impacted by COVID-19, we’re strongly requesting that chicken farmers be included,” said Sen. Coons. “As chicken processing facilities in Delaware and across the country have reduced production, chicken growers have been forced to depopulate millions of healthy birds. These growers need assistance to overcome unprecedented disruptions in demand and processing facilities require resources in order to continue feeding our nation and providing the safest possible working conditions for their employees.”
“As representatives of states with substantial chicken operations, we strongly request that USDA provide direct assistance for chicken farmers impacted by COVID-19 and continue to provide support for chicken processing facilities,” wrote the senators.
A bipartisan group of 16 senators joined Coons and Wicker in signing the letter, including Senators Tom Carper (D-Del.).
Recovery Town Hall with Lt. Governor Bethany Hall-Long
SBA makes Economic Injury Disaster Loans available to agricultural businesses
U.S. SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza announced that agricultural businesses are now eligible for SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and EIDL Advance programs. SBA’s EIDL portal will reopen today as a result of funding authorized by Congress through the Paycheck Protection Program and Healthcare Enhancement Act.
“For more than 30 years, SBA has been prohibited by law from providing disaster assistance to agricultural businesses; however, as a result of the unprecedented legislation enacted by President Trump, American farmers, ranchers and other agricultural businesses will now have access to emergency working capital,” said Administrator Carranza. “These low-interest, long-term loans will help keep agricultural businesses viable while bringing stability to the nation’s vitally important food supply chains.”
Agricultural businesses include businesses engaged in the legal production of food and fiber, ranching, and raising of livestock, aquaculture, and all other farming and agricultural related industries (as defined by section 18(b) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 647(b)). Eligible agricultural businesses must have 500 or fewer employees.
Delaware’s Tourism Industry is showing support for frontline & essential workers
Join the #ThanksDE movement by posting your photos on social media thanking Delaware’s frontline and essential workers at 7 p.m. on Monday, May 4.
Starting at 7 p.m. tourist attractions and hotels across Delaware will be bathed in blue light to say thank those who have served the state’s citizens so unselfishly throughout the Coronavirus pandemic. In addition, restaurants throughout Delaware are thanking healthcare, frontline and essential workers by collecting donations to buy meals for them.
“From healthcare workers to the police officers, firefighters, EMTs, grocery store workers and transit drivers, these folks have stepped up to protect and provide for the rest of us during a challenging time,” Governor John Carney said. “This effort, organized by the Delaware Tourism Office, is a small but fitting tribute to them.”
The following are among the Delaware attractions across the state which will be lit up blue.
New Castle County: The Grand Opera House and Hilton Wilmington-Christiana
Sussex County: The Rehoboth Beach bandstand
Kent County: The Monster statue at Dover International Speedway (enter via Leipsic Road at Plaza Drive)
May 3
DPH updates COVID-19 numbers through Sunday, May 3
Over the weekend the Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) announced that 290 new positive cases have been confirmed and that 18 more Delawareans — 177 in all — have passed away due to complications from COVID-19. The deceased range in age from 32 to 103 years old.
As of May 3, the state’s COVID-19 case statistics cumulatively since March 11 include 5,208 total laboratory-confirmed cases — 1,903 of them in New Castle County, 821 in Kent County and 2,461 in Sussex County. The state said preliminary data based on reporting by state and commercial laboratories, indicate there have been 18,529 negative cases.
There are 284 Delawareans who are currently hospitalized. To date, 1,640 Delawareans who have tested positive have recovered.
