I’d like to start today’s update by addressing the protests over the past several days across the nation and here in San Diego (including Carlsbad). I want to assure you that the City of Carlsbad Police Department is committed to protecting our community’s safety while facilitating a safe environment for demonstrators to peacefully exercise their rights. Vandalism and violence of any sort will not be tolerated. Now more than ever, this is a time for working together and listening to each other with respect. We all have a role to play in creating a better future.
COVID-19 updates since Friday
Carlsbad continues to have 76 total reported cases, same as Friday, however the number of active cases has gone from seven to five. As a reminder, the county doesn’t report out on active cases by city. We calculate this number by counting 14 days from the day a case was reported. This timeframe is a bit of a moving target, with the CDC now recommending 10 days, but we’re staying with 14 for now to be conservative.
As of yesterday’s report from the county,
- 3,929 tests were reported by the county Sunday. 96 or 2% were positive. The new total number of cases is 7,481.
- The 14-day rolling average percentage of positive tests is 3%.
- 1,324 or 17.7% of cases have required hospitalization.
- 385 or 5.1% of all cases had to be admitted to an intensive care unit.
- Three additional deaths were reported over the weekend, bringing the new total to 269.
Map
showing case numbers in the county
San Diego cases
California cases
U.S. and global cases
More local control coming
Friday, the governor held a news conference where he provided an update on how the state has met key criteria to allow safe reopening. This includes having enough hospital and ICU capacity, availability of testing, personal protective equipment supplies and the ability to trace contacts of those testing positive. Here is a link to the
slides from this presentation
.
This presentation led up to an announcement that moving forward, the state would leave it to the counties to decide when to move further into stage three of the reopening. The state will still provide guidance on how to reopen various sectors of the community. Once guidance is available, counties may decide when to proceed.
Stages, phases and steps
The state road map has four stages of reopening, with activities and businesses grouped according to risk. As things have evolved, some of the activities have moved from their original stage definition. For example, haircuts used to be stage three, but now they’re stage two. It’s all a little confusing, I know. We have updated our
“dashboard” of what’s open and what’s not
to show an alphabetized list by type (business, recreation, personal care, etc.) rather than by stage.
We are also getting close to a time when it will be easier to just list what is not open rather than what is. In the meantime, please keep in mind that everything that has reopened is subject to very strict conditions and safeguards. Please be patient as you return to your favorite stores, coffee shops and the like. You could need to wait outside for a few minutes, you’ll need to be mindful of keeping your distance from others when waiting in line and you’ll need to cover your face.
New public health order
As expected, the county issued a new
public health order
that goes into effect at midnight tonight. It includes the updated rules that allow lounging and sunbathing at the beach starting Tuesday, June 2 (still no parking, no gathering, etc.).
It also includes a new requirement for people staying at hotels and short-term vacation rentals to verify they are traveling for an essential business or need to stay because they cannot self-isolate or quarantine at home. Following reports that some were operating outside of these rules, the city has been in touch with all of our hotels and rental operators to make sure they are aware of the county health order.
Small business loan program
The City of Carlsbad has launched its small business loan program. The first step is for business owners to fill out a
pre-qualifying questionnaire
, available on the city’s website.
The City Council approved an Economic Recovery and Revitalization Initiative May 5 that dedicates a minimum of $4.4 million for a business loan program. The City Council has approved two loans types.
- Microloans of between $5,000 and $10,000 for businesses with $2 million or less in gross revenue or 15 or fewer employees.
- Small business recovery loans of between $10,000 and $25,000 for businesses with $3 million or less in gross revenue and 50 or fewer employees.
Both loans types include scaled interest rates depending on how quickly the loan can be repaid. Neither loan type is forgivable. All applicants must hold a valid business license with the City of Carlsbad as of March 1, 2020, and be in good standing.
The City Council Ad Hoc Subcommittee on Business Revitalization continues to work on additional ways the city can support the recovery of our business community affected by COVID-19. More updates to come on that.
Free legal assistance
The San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program is offering free legal assistance to some small businesses and nonprofits that have been affected by the pandemic.
Attorneys from major law firms will be providing free, 45-minute consultations on a variety of issues stemming from the COVID-19 crisis. These include topics like labor and unemployment issues, questions surrounding reopening procedures, bankruptcy, economic injury disaster loans and grants.
If a business or organization’s legal questions can’t be resolved during the consultation, the volunteer lawyer program may be able to provide additional representation. For more information about the clinic,
visit its website
. Attorneys can sign up to participate at
sdvlp.org/volunteer.
Upcoming meetings and announcements
The county will resume its MWF news briefing schedule today at 2:30 p.m. We’ll monitor as usual and report out on any changes or updates. Later today the city will hold a Traffic & Mobility Commission meeting, starting at 3 p.m. Tomorrow our City Council meets at 3 p.m. to consider the draft annual budget.
As always, you can keep follow updates on our
social media
and
COVID-19 website
. Please keep doing what you’re doing, Carlsbad. We are getting through this and will continue to move forward together.
Scott Chadwick
City Manager
