San Diego County Reports Spike In COVID-19 Cases, Orders Bars Closed

Speaker 1: 00:00 Governor Gavin Newsome continued his COVID-19 updates today. These updates have become daily again, as the caseload of COVID patients continues to rise across the state. The governor says 19 counties are on the state's watch list for possible rollbacks to reopening with more to come. And he warned that tomorrow he'll be announcing more tightening of reopening across the state with enforcement measures. The governor also touted the state's success in its efforts to protect homeless residents from the virus. Speaker 2: 00:33 So we're proud of the progress. Uh, just in a few short months, 14,200 individuals, we estimate, uh, now, uh, out of the conditions, uh, they're, they're made them vulnerable now in conditions that give them a little bit more security, uh, and give us a little more and more confidence that we can make a difference. Uh, and we can make real progress and a debt and addressing the issue of homelessness in this state. Speaker 1: 00:59 The governor was heckled today by black lives matter, protesters demanding a redistribution of budget resources. California's new budget was just signed by the governor yesterday, even though San Diego County is not included on California's COVID-19 watchlist County officials have decided to shut down recently, reopened bars, breweries, and wineries. The order goes into effect tonight at midnight bars that serve food and drinks at the same time to seated patrons can remain open here's County supervisor Nathan Fletcher. Speaker 2: 01:32 We don't want it to be wait, wait to be forced to take an action. When we know that it is the wise and responsible thing for us to do now, Speaker 1: 01:39 Supervisor Fletcher says the new closures are in response to a disturbing trend line of increasing positive tests in the County and a rising rate of hospitalizations. And the County is considering additional shutdowns of public places as the July 4th holiday weekend approaches journey me as Paul Sisson, who covers healthcare for the San Diego union Tribune. Welcome Paul. Thanks for having me. Why is the County focusing on bars are many of the new COVID cases being traced to bars. Speaker 2: 02:11 We asked supervisor Fletcher and a, and all of the public health folks, that question yesterday's press conference. And they said that their electronic systems, uh, where they track interviews with people who test positive, but don't allow them to say exactly how many people who have tested positive for COVID have actually visited bars before they tested positive. So there's still a little gray area there. Um, however, they also said, look, we know that bars are places where, you know, they, they kind of exist for people from different households to come together, uh, over drinks. And, uh, and so this is a, an environment that is ripe for an infection to move from one household to another Speaker 1: 02:57 Bars can stay open. They also serve food though, explain how that works. Speaker 2: 03:02 Right? So I don't know if you've been out to any of our, uh, local, uh, uh, breweries, but it's pretty common that they'll not only serve the own, their own beers that they make, but they will have maybe like a food truck or something come by. So people can get something to eat, or they'll have a food booth come by and set up out front. People can go out and order food and take it in and, and, uh, eat and drink at the same time. That's kind of a, you know, an existing tradition. You also have situations now with, uh, online food ordering apps where you will often have a winery or a brewery or a bar, uh, work with local restaurants. So patrons can order food in from restaurants that are not on site. Uh, so there, there are various ways where you can end up having food brought into a bar. And so the County is saying, yeah, that can continue happening. Uh, as long as your patrons are seated and as long as they are ordering both food and drink in the same transaction Speaker 1: 04:04 Now, from your reporting, Paul, what's the reaction of local bar owners and their employees. Speaker 2: 04:10 Our owners seem like they're going to try to, uh, you know, consider doing this, uh, food and drink option as a way of staying open, but many just say that, you know, it's just a hardship on their business. Speaker 1: 04:25 How bad is the spike in, uh, Corona virus cases here in San Diego Speaker 2: 04:30 It's increased dramatically? Uh, it wasn't long ago that we were seeing, you know, between a hundred and 150 or so cases, new cases for day, uh, that had, that has ramped up to the three hundreds. And then the four hundreds and yesterday we had 498 new cases announced, uh, and that is, you know, verging toward 500. So, uh, there has been a pretty dramatic swing. Uh, it has, uh, also brought the average, uh, uh, positive rate for tests conducted up into the six, 7% range, uh, when it was down in the two, 3% range. So it does really seem like we are seeing a larger number of, uh, of folks and a larger percentage of folks getting infected. Speaker 1: 05:18 You said it wasn't clear whether or not this COVID spike is the result of people mingling in bars. It's just sort of anecdotal where else is the County tracing these cases and community outbreaks. And I'm specifically asking about visitors from areas where COVID is increasing like Arizona or Imperial County, Speaker 2: 05:40 Right? Uh, they've provided some information on the outbreaks. They've kept it rather vague because they say they don't want to, uh, make it less likely that people will be honest with their investigators when they call a fair number, have come out of restaurants. Um, they say that backyard and home gatherings have, have actually generated quite a few community outbreaks. Uh, yesterday we asked them about, uh, visitors from other places. Uh, they said they only had, I think it was 16, uh, visitors who have tested positive for COVID from Arizona throughout the entire, uh, nearly four month outbreak. But that seven of those, uh, had tested positive in the last week. Uh, I think they said they had nearly 400 from Imperial County who have tested positive and something like 60, uh, in the last week. Uh, so of the two, uh, locations to the East, it seems like Imperial has generated more cases than Arizona. Speaker 1: 06:41 Now, the July 4th weekend in San Diego usually includes those barbecues that you just mentioned. And of course, beaches. So water County officials saying about that, Speaker 2: 06:52 Uh, they said yesterday when pressed, uh, that they are going to be talking with beach cities throughout the County and asking them if there's anything else they would like them to do on the 4th of July weekend. Uh, I think it was supervisor Fletcher, who said, you know, we are going to be asking them if they feel like they can enforce the social distancing requirements, uh, on local beaches, Speaker 1: 07:17 LA County is closing its speeches for the July 4th holiday. Any idea that San Diego is heading in that direction. Speaker 2: 07:24 I mean, they certainly hinted that they might be a yesterday a, that is an open question that we're all very eager to learn more about. Uh, they, they did decide to hold another press conference this afternoon. Uh, and it may be that beaches are a main subject of that press conference. Uh, but so far they've been, uh, rather circumspect about it. Speaker 1: 07:45 Okay. I've been speaking with Paul Sisson who covers healthcare for the San Diego union Tribune. And Paul, thank you. Thank you.