What’s next?
The county identified three critical triggers – outbreaks, hospitalizations and the supply of personal protective equipment. A reporter yesterday asked the county health officer why restrictions were not put back in place the first time one of these triggers was met. She explained that the county initially followed up with individual outbreak sources, like restaurants, for enforcement as needed. With the coming holiday weekend, trends in cases and closures in surrounding counties, the county decided it now needs to close all bars, breweries and wineries. These establishments tend to draw a younger crowd, and people tend to need to yell or stand near each other to talk, both of which increase the opportunity for spread.
Visitors to San Diego
Another issue that has come up is whether tourists from Arizona are the reason for the sudden increase in cases. The county does track where people with COVID-19 live, and so far, only 16 people total have been traced to Arizona, but seven of those were in the last week.
Help us help you
The city is working with the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce and the Carlsbad Village Association to promote greater adherence to the health precautions needed to slow the spread of COVID-19 in Carlsbad. I’ve mentioned a city loan program and other components of a $5 million economic revitalization package approved by the City Council to help businesses affected by COVID-19.
This will all be for naught, however, if people don’t do their part to help our local businesses stay open. Can you imagine being a bar owner and after taking all the steps needed to reopen safely, after three months of closure, only to close again? It’s heartbreaking for our local businesses. You can help not just by patronizing our local businesses as much as you can, but also by taking the needed precautions:
- DO NOT gather with friends yet. It’s too soon. You can eat together in a restaurant under very strict conditions
- Don’t let your teens get together with friends; don’t arrange play dates for your kids. City camps are open if you’re looking for kids’ activities. Again, we are enforcing very strict health precautions
- Don’t just bring your face covering with you when you leave home, have it visible, around your neck, so people start to see that this is expected
- When in doubt, put it on, and always wear it when you enter a business, take public transportation and any other time when you might come within 6 feet of someone not from your household
- Wash your hands often (and bring sanitizer with you); don’t touch your face
- Become familiar with the symptoms of COVID-19 (this list is getting longer as health experts learn more)
Positive cases at the city
The city has taken extensive precautions since the very early days of COVID-19, switching to teleworking practically overnight, putting in place health screenings for those who still needed to report to a city facility, retrofitting workspaces, providing washable face coverings and providing training on all the new protocols. I am proud to say that thanks to these efforts, we did not have a single case, including our first responders, for 98 days.
But, now we have. Two, in fact. The first case was the week before last – someone who works at our Faraday Administration Center. Last Saturday we had our second case, an employee at Alga Norte Aquatic Center. Fortunately, that employee had not been at work since June 19, which is before the facility reopened to the public.
All along the city has committed to sharing as much information as possible with the public about COVID-19, which is why I wanted you to know about these cases, even though neither involved public contact. Both employees are resting at home, and we wish them a speedy recovery.
Unfortunately, I expect we will see more employee cases, given the level of community spread that is now occurring. Please know that we will continue to take all recommended precautions (and then some) to limit spread among our staff. If a staff member who had public contact tests positive, we will notify those potentially exposed. I hope this never happens, but we have a plan in place in case it does.
Contact tracing
With more cases, the county’s trained contact tracers are actively working to limit potential outbreaks. You could be contacted if you are identified as someone who came into close contact with a person testing positive for COVID-19. Here’s what to expect:
