EAST COUNTY ROUNDUP: LOCAL AND STATEWIDE NEWS

April 7, 2020 (San Diego) -- East County Roundup highlights top stories of interest to East County and San Diego's inland regions, published in other media.  This week's round-up stories include:  

LOCAL

• Water agency to sell 360 acres in El Monte Valley (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Still can’t find rice? San Diego restaurants convert empty buildings into grocery supermarkets (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Dog fostering is up as San Diegans look for quarantine company (KPBS)
• San Diego Lab Will Begin Testing Coronavirus Vaccine In Humans (PBS)
• Reported Crime Dips In San Diego Area Amid Coronavirus Crisis (Patch.com)
• Sailors slam Navy for virus response on ships, Naval Base San Diego (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Fired Captain of USS Theodore Roosevelt Cheered by Crew as He Leaves (Times of San Diego)
• Pregnant San Diego mom with COVID-19 improving in hospital (10 News)

STATE

• Coronavirus complicates California wildfire preparation; raises worry over evacuation shelters (Los Angeles Times)
• As coronavirus cases top 16,000, Newsom is ‘confident’ about the state’s supply of ventilators, hospital beds (San Jose Mercy)
• California’s coronavirus curve ‘is bending,’ but tougher days are ahead, Gov. Gavin Newsom says (Los Angeles Times)
• Blood tests will determine who has had coronavirus — and may be immune (San Francisco Chronicle)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

LOCAL

Water agency to sell 360 acres in El Monte Valley (San Diego Union-Tribune)

Nearly 340 acres of open space in Lakeside’s El Monte Valley is going to be put up for sale and interested parties are already raising their hands. The five-member board of the Helix Water District unanimously voted earlier this month to sell the land along Ashwood Street and Willow Road, a lot it is splitting into three separate parcels…

Still can’t find rice? San Diego restaurants convert empty buildings into grocery supermarkets (San Diego Union-Tribune)

Restaurant and shop owners are selling hard-to-find food staples all over San Diego, with local pick-up and delivery

Dog fostering is up as San Diegans look for quarantine company (KPBS)

Like most other places right now, the pandemic has forced local animal shelters to shut their doors to the public. That means shelter dogs aren't getting as much attention. But many in the community are stepping up to help by volunteering to foster homeless dogs.

San Diego Lab Will Begin Testing Coronavirus Vaccine In Humans (PBS)

A coronavirus vaccine developed in San Diego will undergo human testing this week. Plus: San Diego County health officials have directed hospitals to further restrict equipment used to protect health care workers from the coronavirus, checking in on border crossers amid the border squeeze and more local news you need.

Reported Crime Dips In San Diego Area Amid Coronavirus Crisis (Patch.com)

Reported crime in the San Diego area has decreased notably since Gov. Gavin Newsom's stay-at-home directive.

Sailors slam Navy for virus response on ships, Naval Base San Diego (San Diego Union-Tribune)

Ever since COVID-19 began spreading in the San Diego community in early March, military leaders here have been challenged to balance their mission obligations with the need to protect the health of personnel. Some service members and their families are questioning that balancing act. They’re criticizing Navy leaders’ decisions ..

Fired Captain of USS Theodore Roosevelt Cheered by Crew as He Leaves (Times of San Diego)

Capt. Brett Crozier was cheered by his crew as he left the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt on Thursday after being relieved of duty. Crozier was fired by Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly after a letter to Navy leaders warning of an escalating outbreak of coronavirus aboard the San Diego-based carrier was leaked to the press.

Pregnant San Diego mom with COVID-19 improving in hospital (10 News)

A pregnant San Diego mother's fight against the coronavirus has taken a turn for the better. Doctors put 33-year-old Ashley Duque in a medically induced coma last week, according to family members. Duque is 17 weeks pregnant and needed a ventilator. However, over the weekend, her condition improved.

STATE

Coronavirus complicates California wildfire preparation; raises worry over evacuation shelters (Los Angeles Times)

… the outbreak has already forced departments to put a hold on large training exercises, cancel controlled burns and delay inspections of fire-prone properties … Of greatest concern to Red Cross officials is preventing the spread of illness at evacuation centers, which can quickly grow crowded with evacuees of all ages. Another question is how battalions of firefighters might guard against the pathogen while battling flames in close formations, or while eating and sleeping in fire base camps that were notorious for outbreaks of “camp crud” even before the pandemic.

As coronavirus cases top 16,000, Newsom is ‘confident’ about the state’s supply of ventilators, hospital beds (San Jose Mercy)

As the total number of coronavirus cases in California topped 16,000, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday he is confident the state is building up its number of ventilators, hospital beds and workforce to meet the demand of a still-to-come surge in patients that he projects won’t peak until May.

California’s coronavirus curve ‘is bending,’ but tougher days are ahead, Gov. Gavin Newsom says (Los Angeles Times)

Nearly three weeks after ordering Californians to stay home, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Tuesday that the state’s efforts are slowing the spread of the novel coronavirus and “bending the curve.” “Let me give you a sense of optimism, in terms of the curve in California bending. It is bending, but it’s also stretching,” Newsom said.

Blood tests will determine who has had coronavirus — and may be immune (San Francisco Chronicle)

Blood tests that determine who’s had the coronavirus — and may have developed immunity to it — could help decide who’s ready to return to work. One being developed at Stanford University may be released as soon as this week.