A San Diego County emergency alert declared by Governor Newsom, was sent out to the public the morning of Dec. 8 regarding the new stay at home orders due to the COVID-19 virus. With this, we are required to stay home unless for essential errands. This mandatory order prohibits large gatherings and enforces the continued practice of social distancing and wearing face masks.
According to covid19.gov, the stay at home order will be in effect for three weeks. After the third week is up, one of two things will happen. Either we will end the stay at home order and businesses will be allowed to reopen, or we continue the order until ICU capacity is at less than 15%. To keep track of cases and ICU data, follow the link here.
According to the San Diego County website, businesses such as retail, shopping centers, grocery stores, outdoor recreational facilities, hotels, restaurants, offices, and entertainment production will remain open. All these businesses are now taking more safety precautions and adding modifications. Retail shops now have to be at 20% capacity, providing special hours for the elderly. Restaurants are now limited to take-out and delivery only while grocery stores now have to limit to 30% capacity. You can find the new requirements to stay open for other businesses here.
Businesses that are now closed include indoor and outdoor playgrounds, indoor recreational facilities, hair salons and barbershops, personal care services (includes nail salons, tattoo, piercing, tanning), museums, zoos, and aquariums, movie theaters (except drive-in), wineries, bars, breweries and distilleries, family entertainment centers, cardrooms and satellite wagering, live audience sports, and amusement parks.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 data tracker, San Diego county has reached over 27,200 new cases with a total of over 94,000 cases reported since the beginning of the year as of Dec. 7. It’s strongly recommended that the elderly, people with compromised immune systems, and those with chronic health issues or symptoms of COVID-19 to stay home. It’s important for citizens to continue practicing the safety procedures to minimize the risk of potentially catching the virus. You can find ways to protect yourselves and others here.
