COUNTY ALLOWS CAMPING AND SOME SPORTS GEAR RENTALS, CLARIFIES NEW RULES FOR BUSINESSES AND CHILDCARE FACILITIES
Businesses must take temperatures, check for symptoms
Photo: Toasty Campfire by Jack Riordan
By Miriam Raftery
May 9, 2020 (San Diego) – Yesterday the county announced easing of more restrictions. Effective today, campgrounds can reopen at 50 percent capacity, though campsites can be rented only to members of the same household and play equipment must stay closed.
Companies that rent recreational equipment such as bicycles, surfboards, boats, kayaks and other watercraft can also reopen after submitting a Safe Reopening Plan that includes sanitization with a disinfectant effective against COVID-19. Equipment for use by multiple people can only be rented to people in the same household.
Childcare facilities can now have 12 children instead of 10 per group and employees at childcare facilities no longer need to wear masks.
Essential businesses operating during the COVID-19 crisis have a new requirement to take temperatures of workers and not allow anyone with a temperature of 100 degrees or more into the workplace. If a thermometer is not available, the business should screen for symptoms and prohibit anyone from entering with a cough, shortness of breath or trouble breathing, or two or more of these symptoms: fever, chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, or new loss of taste and smell.
Gatherings of any size remain prohibited and San Diegans are encouraged to stay home when not out on essential business or exercising.
Photo: County Microbiologist Jovan Shepherd prepares a specimen for testing of the novel coronavirus, credit: County of San Diego
Yesterday, the county reported 3,457 new tests of which 7 percent were positive. Over the last two weeks, the average has ben 6 percent. To date, nearly 73,000 people have been tested countywide.
Four new deaths and 233 new cases were reported yesterday by county health officials, bringing total cases to 4,662 and total deaths in our county to 169, of which 85, around half, were in congregate living facilities such as nursing homes. Overall, 19.7 percent of cases required hospitalization and 6.2 percent of all cases required intensive care.
There are currently 61 active outbreaks including 39 at congregate living centers and 22 in community settings.
The County’s COVID-19 webpage contains additional information on the disease, including a graph showing new positive cases and total cases reported by date. The data is also broken down by gender, race and ethnic/race group. An interactive dashboard with several COVID-19 indicators is being updated daily. For more information, visit coronavirus-sd.com.