County of San Diego Board of Supervisors approves plan for quicker reopening

By Anny H. Ruth | May 20, 2020

Information provided by José A. Álvarez and Katie Cadiao of the County of San Diego Communications Office

The governing board of San Diego county has approved a plan from health officials concerning quickening the pace of getting the county back up and running.

These public health experts have expressed confidence that the area has risen to satisfy the requirements set by the State of California to advance into Stage 2 of economic reopening.

This includes the following:

Less than 5% of daily COVID-19 hospitalizations over a 7-day period or no more than 20 COVID hospitalizations on any single day in the past 14 days.
Fewer than 25 new cases per 100,000 residents in the past 14 days or less than 8% testing positive in the past 7 days.

Have a capacity to be able to test 1.5 per every 1,000 residents and at least 15 staff per 100,000 county population trained and available for contact tracing.

Hospital capacity for a possible surge of 35% of hospitalizations due to COVID-19 cases in addition to providing usual care for other patients.

The plan will immediately be submitted to the California Department of Public Health for review.

If the plan is approved by the state, the county will be cleared to accelerate into Stage 2, which will include in-person dining reservations and retail shopping with social distancing.

Restaurants and retail shops are encouraged to review the state guidance for their business and complete the County’s Safe Reopening Plan, which is required to be displayed on the premises.

Most counties in the state are expected to meet the new criteria to reopen at a faster pace.

Stage 3 Pilot Proposal

The board also approved proposing a pilot program that would allow a select number of businesses from Stage 3 to gradually reopen ahead of the schedule outlined by the state.

The pilot program includes outdoor religious services, research labs, hair and nail salons, fitness facilities, youth sports and clubs and pools at apartment complexes. The pilot program would also allow therapeutic and peer support groups to offer sessions, but with group size limited to 12 people or fewer.

The California Department of Public Health and the Governor’s Office also will have to approve the County’s pilot program proposals before businesses from these sectors can begin to reopen.

State Testing Sites

In the past few weeks, COVID-19 testing in the region has ramped up and the region is now regularly surpassing more than 4,000 a day. To date, more than 108,000 tests have been administered in the region.

Two state-run walk-up test sites will open Tuesday, May 19. One is located at the Tubman-Chavez Center at 415 Euclid Avenue and the other at the former San Diego County Assessor Office at 200 S. Magnolia Avenue in El Cajon.

These two sites are in addition to those already operating in Escondido and Chula Vista. All the state-run locations require appointments, which can be made at www.lhi.care/covidtesting or by calling (888) 634-1123.

County Testing Sites

A County testing site is now re-opened from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Saturday at San Diego County Credit Union Stadium in Mission Valley. This site can test up to 180 people daily. To make an appointment at a County site, call 2-1-1.

On Saturdays, the County’s Live Well on Wheels Mobile Office will offer COVID-19 testing from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Euclid Health Center, located at 292 Euclid Ave. An appointment is required and can be set up by calling 2-1-1.

COVID-19 testing options include calling your doctor or medical provider to schedule an appointment, signing up on the state website, or calling 2-1-1.

COVID-19 Testing, Cases and Deaths

Testing:3,408 tests were reported to the County May 17 and 110 or 3% were positive.
4.1% was yesterday’s 14-day, rolling average percentage of positive tests.

Cases:110 new cases were reported for a San Diego County total of 5,946.
1,115 or 19.8% of the total cases have required hospitalization.
339 or 5.7% of all cases had to be placed in intensive care.

Deaths:Two additional COVID-19 deaths were reported today, bringing the region’s total to 211. A woman in her early 70s died April 27 and a man in his late 80s died May 4. Both had underlying medical conditions.

The number of active outbreaks, deaths and cases at nursing homes and other congregate living facilities are:

73 active outbreaks, 50 at congregate living facilities and 23 in community settings.
1,318 cases, including 104 deaths in congregate living facilities.
310 cases, including five deaths in community settings.