Tourists visiting San Diego County primarily get here in one of two ways: They fly in, or they drive. A good portion of tourist traffic on Interstate 8 comes from Arizona, and when it comes to COVID-19, our neighbor to the east is in deep trouble.
In Yuma, they’ve seen their COVID-19 cases jump 300-percent in less than a month.
The situation isn’t much better in either Phoenix or Tucson, and that brings up an uncomfortable question. What about Arizonans making the drive west on I-8?
That question brings into focus two competing concerns: helping San Diego's all-important tourism economy rebound, and avoiding contracting COVID-19.
The head of San Diego State’s School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Carl Winston said, “I think there’s not a definitive way forward because there’s really these two forces that are in conflict with each other.”
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Winston said places like Hawaii and, as of midnight tonight, the tri-state area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut have all instituted 14-day quarantines for people visiting from states that are experiencing spikes in COVID-19. But he isn't sure that would work here.
“I think we can legislate away... but I’m not sure they can enforce and it’s a real conundrum for society,” Winston said.
Asked Wednesday about whether they are concerned about tourists from Arizona possibly bringing COVID with them, San Diego county officials said anything that would be done about that would have to come from the state.
