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San Diego Leaders Ask Gov. Newsom To Approve Convention Center Reopenings

– 3:38 p.m., Friday, Sept. 18, 2020

Mayor Kevin Faulconer and City Councilman Chris Cate sent a letter Friday to Gov. Gavin Newsom asking him to approve safe reopening guidelines for convention centers across the state, which were ordered closed in mid-March along with other large venues such as amusement parks due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The San Diego Convention Center has been home to more than 1,000 San Diegans experiencing homelessness since April 1, but has otherwise been closed to events which would normally fill the venue.

In Fiscal Year 2019, the convention center hosted 143 events and 836,695 attendees, accounting for 822,528 hotel room nights, $755.3 million in direct attendee spending and $29 million in hotel and sales tax revenue, for an overall regional impact of $1.3 billion, according to Faulconer and Cate. — City News Service

San Diego County Reports 174 New COVID-19 Cases, Six Deaths

– 5 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020

San Diego County health officials reported 174 new COVID-19 infections and six deaths tied to the illness Thursday, raising the region's totals to 43,619 cases and 754 deaths as the county waits to see if it will have to roll back business openings next week.

Of the 9,495 tests reported Thursday, just 2% returned positive — potentially a good sign as San Diego County appears poised to regress into the state's most restrictive public health tier due to increasing COVID-19 numbers by Tuesday, when state data is released. However, as the data runs on a seven- day lag, it may be too little, too late to prevent moving to a more restrictive tier with Gov. Gavin Newsom rejecting a county effort Wednesday to discount the more than 700 positive tests recorded by San Diego State University since the semester began.

The county will find out Tuesday if it will slip back to the "purple" tier of the state's coronavirus reopening roadmap. If so, it would likely shutter indoor operations for restaurants, houses of worship and gyms, limit retail businesses to just 25% capacity and have major impacts on indoor business for most other industries until the county can improve its numbers.

Should the county be placed in that tier, it would have to wait a minimum of three weeks before moving back to less restrictive tiers. — City News Service

San Diego Community College District Announces Online Classes Through 2021

– 3:00 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020

The San Diego Community College District announced Thursday it will continue online instruction through the remainder of the academic year, including the January 2021 intersession and Spring 2021 semester.

SDCCD Chancellor Constance M. Carroll emailed district employees Wednesday informing them of the decision. With exceptions for a few programs that are difficult to offer virtually, all district classes have been online and all operations conducted remotely since March 23 to help curb the spread of COVID-19.

Hybrid exceptions include various science and clinical laboratory sections, career classes with technical components and classes for first responders, which are offered on campus with all health protocols required. Carroll said more hybrid classes and on campus support services will be offered in the spring if the situation allows, but that the district's highest priority is the health and safety of its students and employees.

"It seems incredible that we are now in our sixth month of dealing with the coronavirus COVID-19," Carroll said. "I do not believe anyone could have predicted the longevity of this crisis."– City News Service

Average Rents In College-Adjacent Areas Drop Significantly During COVID-19

– 2:46 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020

A report released Thursday by real estate company Zillow found that as more college students stay home during the COVID-19 pandemic, the price of rents in neighborhoods surrounding the colleges has decreased.

According to Zillow, markets across the county are already relatively soft due to the pandemic, with just 2.6% increase in rents over a year ago, but ZIP codes typically home to many college students are actually showing a decrease in rents of .5%.

In the 92122 ZIP code, near UC San Diego — which has a 27.3% share of college students in normal years — rents were rising 4.8% year over year in February. Now, they're falling 5.1%. They've dropped $84 a month in that time.

Data from The Chronicle of Higher Education and Davidson College shows 44% of U.S. colleges and universities are mostly offering classes online this fall, a big hit to rental demand in college areas, with two million more college-age Americans living with their parents in August than a year earlier.

According to Zillow's data, the reduced demand in this largely remote higher-education environment is having a noticeable impact on rents in ZIP codes in which at least 20% of the population is college students, who make up about 8% of the U.S. rental market in a typical year. – City News Service

Unemployment Drops To Lowest Rate Since Early April, SANDAG Report Finds

– 2:43 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020

The estimated unemployment rate in San Diego County fell to 13.3%, nearly 12 points lower than the region's peak in May, a report released Thursday by the San Diego Association of Governments found.

Unemployment has slowly declined from the high of 25% the week of May 9, with a noticeable spike from 15.1% to 17.4% in early July due in part to the closure of indoor businesses as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Since that second spike, the unemployment rate bounced between 15% and 16% before dropping below 14% in the latter part of August and early weeks of September.

While the region has recovered somewhat from those closure orders, the 13.3% figure SANDAG reported Thursday is still 2.5 points higher than at the height of the Great Recession in 2009-10.

"The new statewide guidelines make it challenging for many businesses to resume full operations," said SANDAG Chief Economist Ray Major. "This has resulted in continued high levels of unemployed workers and dramatic declines in economic activity and consumer spending for the foreseeable future." – City News Service

San Diego County Reports 264 New COVID-19 Cases, 6 Deaths

– 5:05 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020

San Diego County public health officials reported 264 new COVID-19 infections and six deaths from the illness Wednesday, raising the region's totals to 43,445 cases and 784 deaths.

Of the 8,644 tests reported Wednesday, 3% returned positive, moving the 14-day rolling average of positive tests to 4.4%, well below the state's 8% guideline. The seven-day average number of tests performed in the county is 7,838.

Of the total positive cases in the county, 3,349 — or 7.7% — have required hospitalization since the pandemic began, and 787 — or 1.8% — were admitted to an intensive care unit.

County health officials reported five new community outbreaks on Tuesday. In the previous seven days, 17 community outbreaks were confirmed. Two of the new outbreaks were in businesses, and one each in a residence, grocery store and faith-based setting. – City News Service

Governor Won’t Exclude SDSU COVID-19 Cases From County Figures

– 5:05 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020

California officials said Wednesday the state would not consider removing college students' virus cases from a county's data because they are part of the broader community and can contribute to the spread of the illness.

“You can't isolate as if it's on an island, a campus community that is part of a larger community,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said. He spoke hours before Greg Cox, chairman of the San Diego County board of supervisors, wrote the governor asking that he seriously consider excluding San Diego State University from the county's count.

The issue arose as San Diego County — the state's second-most populous — has seen hundreds of cases among college students that have helped drive up infections.

San Diego State University has reported more than 700 cases, prompting the university to move classes online and, on Tuesday, mandate testing for students living on campus. – Associated Press

County In Danger Of More COVID-19 Restrictions

– 4:55 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2020

The clock is now ticking for San Diego County, as new COVID-19 data released Tuesday contains one of the two metrics the state monitors now flagged as "widespread," which could lead to business restrictions and closures if it continues for another week.

San Diego County's state-calculated, unadjusted case rate is 7.9 new daily cases per 100,000 population. The testing positivity percentage is 4.5%. Should the county have a case rate higher than 7.0 next week, it could be moved into the purple tier, and more state-imposed restrictions could be implemented on recently opened businesses. Many nonessential indoor business operations could be shuttered.

The county is currently in the red tier, along with Orange, San Francisco, Marin, Santa Cruz and Santa Clara counties. Most of the rest of Southern California is in the purple tier. The state system has four tiers and assesses counties weekly, with reports scheduled each Tuesday.

County public health officials reported 294 new COVID-19 infections and nine new fatalities Tuesday, bringing the region's total caseload to 43,181 and total deaths to 742.

Six men and three women died between Sept. 7 and Sept. 14, and their ages ranged from early 50s to mid-90s. All had underlying medical conditions.

Of the 5,969 tests reported Tuesday, 5% returned positive, moving the 14-day rolling average of positive tests to 4.4%, well below the state's 8% guideline. The seven-day average number of tests performed in the county is 7,254.

Of the total positive cases in the county, 3,335 — or 7.7% — have required hospitalization since the pandemic began, and 784 — or 1.8% — were admitted to an intensive care unit.

County health officials reported four new community outbreaks on Tuesday. In the previous seven days, 15 community outbreaks were confirmed. Two of the new outbreaks were in restaurant/bar settings, one was in a business and one in a grocery setting. The number of community outbreaks remains above the county's goal of fewer than seven in a seven-day span. A community setting outbreak is defined as three or more COVID-19 cases originating in the same setting and impacting people of different households in the past 14 days. — City News Service

San Diego State Requires Testing Of All Student Dorming On-Campus

– 4:15 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2020

San Diego State University announced Tuesday it is ramping up its COVID-19 testing protocols through a new random surveillance testing program which requires all students living on campus to be tested for the virus.

The program will begin Wednesday, with around 500 students being tested every day through Saturday, then starting again Monday. All students living in SDSU residence halls and apartments will be assigned testing slots at either the Student Health Services Calpulli Center, or the HHSA testing location at the Parma Payne Goodall Alumni Center. Students will be notified of their assigned testing window, along with instructions on what to do, through their SDSU email address.

Off-campus students are encouraged to get tested, as well. All students continue to have access to testing at Student Health Services and at both San Diego County and Imperial County locations. Faculty and staff continue to have access to county testing site locations, including the location at the Parma Payne Goodall Alumni Center. —City News Service

San Diego County Reports 208 New COVID-19 Cases, No Deaths

– 4:03 p.m., Monday, Sept. 14, 2020

San Diego County public health officials reported 208 new COVID-19 infections and no new deaths Monday, bringing the region's total caseload to 42,887, while the number of deaths related to the illness remained at 734.

Of the 5,921 tests reported Monday, 4% returned positive, moving the 14-day rolling average of positive tests to 4.2%, well below the state's 8% guideline. The seven-day average number of tests performed in the county is 7,076.

Of the total positive cases in the county, 3,306 — or 7.7% — have required hospitalization since the pandemic began, and 781 — or 1.8% — were admitted to an intensive care unit.

On Monday, county health officials reported no new community outbreaks. In the past seven days, 14 community outbreaks were confirmed. The number of community outbreaks remains above the county's goal of fewer than seven in a seven-day span. A community setting outbreak is defined as three or more COVID-19 cases originating in the same setting and impacting people of different households in the past 14 days.

Under the new state monitoring metrics, San Diego County is currently in Tier 2, also called the Red Tier. San Diego's state-calculated unadjusted case rate was 6.9 per 100,000 residents and the testing positivity percentage was 4.2%. – City News Service

Scripps Health Forms Vaccine Committee For Future COVID-19 Treatment

– 12:21 p.m., Monday, Sept. 14, 2020

Scripps Health announced today it has established a COVID-19 Vaccine Committee to recommend which coronavirus vaccine or vaccines to consider offering for patients, employees and physicians.

The team of Scripps' medical, pharmaceutical and vaccine experts will begin meeting this week. They will review and analyze the leading COVID-19 vaccines from an evidence-based perspective.

"It's our responsibility as a health care provider to be the voice of science and truth," said Scripps Health President and CEO Chris Van Gorder.

"There is a strong potential for public opinion to differ on which COVID-19 vaccine is best, with some people lacking faith in any of them. Our goal, through this committee, is to provide recommendations on a vaccine or vaccines based on an objective review of the available medical data and clinical information."

Researchers worldwide are testing 48 COVID-19 vaccines in clinical trials on humans, and at least 93 pre-clinical vaccines are under active investigation in animals. Nine COVID-19 vaccines are in Phase 3 large-scale efficacy testing. According to Scripps, expectations are that the Food and Drug Administration could approve a vaccine by the end of the year. – City News Service

Supervisor Fletcher To Preview $2.5 Million In Coronavirus Business Grants

– 11:21 p.m., Monday, Sept. 14, 2020

Supervisor Fletcher To Preview $2.5 Million In Grants Your browser does not support inline frames or is currently configured not to display inline frames. Content can be viewed at actual source page: https://youtu.be/8F6Ra9CGmb0

San Diego County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher will visit Grandma Tofu Korean BBQ in the Kearny Mesa area, one of the business that could receive grant money if approved by the Board of Supervisors at its Tuesday meeting.

Contact says Fletcher will tour the business and discuss the importance of funding businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. – City News Service

SD County Reports 265 New COVID-19 Cases, No New Deaths

– 4:53 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 13, 2020

San Diego County public health officials have reported 265 new COVID-19 infections and no new deaths, bringing the county's totals to 42,679 cases and 734 fatalities.

Of the 8,281 tests reported Saturday, 3% returned positive, moving the 14-day rolling average of positive tests to 4.4%, well below the state's 8% guideline. The seven-day average number of tests performed in the county is 7,200.

Of the total positive cases in the county, 3,296 — or 7.7% — have required hospitalization since the pandemic began, and 781 — or 1.8% — were admitted to an intensive care unit.

San Diego State University reported 29 new student cases of COVID-19 Sunday, bringing the total number of cases to 621 since the fall semester began Aug. 24. – City News Service

SDSU Reports 23 New Student Cases Of COVID-19

– 2:39 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 13, 2020

San Diego State University reported 23 new student cases of COVID-19 Sunday, bringing the total number of cases to 621 since the fall semester began Aug. 24.

University officials said they were aware of 617 confirmed cases among students and four probable cases.

The university has not received any reports of faculty or staff who have tested positive since fall instruction began, SDSU health officials said.

The majority of the 621 cases are students living off-campus in San Diego. About 75% of students testing positive live in off-campus housing not managed by the university, with 73% of the cases among the freshman and sophomore classes, officials said. – City News Service

SD County Reports 445 New COVID-19 Cases, 32 At San Diego State

– 5:26 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 12, 2020

San Diego County public health officials have reported 445 new COVID-19 infections and four deaths from the illness, raising the county's total to 42,414 cases and 734 deaths.

Two women and two men died between Sept. 7 and Sept. 10 and their ages ranged from the mid-50s to late 80s. All had underlying medical conditions.

Of the 8,531 tests reported Friday, 5% returned positive, moving the 14-day rolling average of positive tests to 4.5%, well below the state's 8% guideline. The seven-day average number of tests performed in the county is 6,627.

Of the total positive cases in the county, 3,278 — or 7.7% — have required hospitalization since the pandemic began, and 777 — or 1.8% — were admitted to an intensive care unit.

County health officials reported no new community outbreaks on Friday, lowering the number of outbreaks in the past week to 13.

The number of community outbreaks remains above the county's goal of fewer than seven in a seven-day span. A community setting outbreak is defined as three or more COVID-19 cases in a setting and in people of different households in the past 14 days.

Of Friday's cases, another 32 were tied to San Diego State University, raising the total number of confirmed infected students on- and off- campus to 598 since the fall semester began Aug. 24. – City News Service

San Diego County Reports 361 New COVID-19 Cases, 53 At San Diego State

– 5:35 p.m., Friday, Sept. 11, 2020

San Diego County public health officials reported 361 new COVID-19 infections and five deaths Friday from the illness, raising the county's total to 41,969 cases and 730 deaths.

Two women and three men died between Sept. 2 and Sept. 9 and their ages ranged from early 60s to late 80s.

Of the 9,208 tests reported Thursday, 4% returned positive, moving the 14-day rolling average of positive tests to 4.4%, well below the state's 8% guideline. The seven-day average number of tests performed in the county is 6,472.

Of the total positive cases in the county, 3,266 — or 7.8% — have required hospitalization since the pandemic began, and 775 — or 1.8% — were admitted to an intensive care unit.

County health officials reported no new community outbreaks on Thursday, lowering the number of outbreaks in the past week to 17. – City News Service

County, Mexican Consulate Partner To Push Latino COVID-19 Testing Strategy

– 2:30 p.m., Friday, Sept. 11, 2020

A comprehensive outreach strategy to expand testing access for Latino residents and other communities hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic was announced Friday by local leaders.

The new program will kick off on Monday, with a new testing site at the Mexican Consulate in downtown San Diego at 1549 India St. Starting at 8 a.m., walk-up appointments will be available until 3:30 p.m., according to the announcement from San Diego County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher, Carlos Gonzalez Gutierrez, Consul General of Mexico in San Diego and other local leaders.

"We are prioritizing our response to health inequities in the Latino community by prioritizing efforts to help address accessibility barriers that are contributing to Latinos being disproportionately impacted by this pandemic," Fletcher said. "Whether you live in the south, north or east of our county, you should have access to testing and resources to prevent and treat the spread of COVID-19."

The consulate will be the first of several locations in a 14-day rotation. Two other confirmed sites include San Luis Rey Church in Oceanside and St. Anthony of Padua in National City. Dates, times and additional locations will be announced as soon as they are finalized.

According to the group, by working with partners like the consulate, Catholic Diocese of San Diego, the Chicano Federation and others, this testing initiative will enhance San Diego County's regional effort to expand coronavirus testing and outreach in the Latino community. — City News Servicce

SD County Reports 284 New COVID-19 Cases, 69 At San Diego State

– 5:42 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020

San Diego County public health officials reported 284 new COVID-19 infections and four deaths from the illness, raising the county's total to 41,608 cases and 725 deaths.

Three women and a man died between Aug. 31 and Sept. 6 and their ages ranged from early 60s to late 80s. All had underlying medical conditions.

Of the 8,311 tests reported Thursday, 3% returned positive, decreasing the 14-day rolling average of positive tests to 4.4%, well below the state's 8% guideline. The seven-day average number of tests performed in the county is 6,236.

Of the total positive cases in the county, 3,253 — or 7.8% — have required hospitalization since the pandemic began, and 775 — or 1.9% — were admitted to an intensive care unit. – City News Service

Our Lady of Peace Moves To All-Online Classes After 2 Students Contract COVID-19

– 3 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020

Just nine days after reopening its campus for in- person classes, Academy of Our Lady of Peace in North Park Thursday moved all its students to online-only courses after two students tested positive for COVID- 19.

Schools were allowed to reopen on Sept. 1, but as San Diego County's rate of infection appears to be on the rise again, Our Lady of Peace is unlikely to be the only school to face consequences of in-person learning. The school sent a letter to parents Wednesday evening placing the blame on the children at the all-girls Catholic school.

"We recognize that despite our best efforts the girls are struggling with maintaining the rules of physical distancing both on and off campus," it read. "Effective immediately, we are implementing a pause in our face-to-face learning model and moving to virtual distance learning (while maintaining the same class schedule). This will allow time for the community to separate, practice physical distancing and reflect on the importance and privilege of our time together on the OLP campus."

The two confirmed student cases are unrelated, the school said. Students at the school will switch from online education to a hybrid model on Sept. 17, with students attending class two days a week in two separate cohorts separated by last name alphabetically. — City News Service

San Diego Reports 12 New COVID-19 Deaths Wednesday

– 4 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020

San Diego County public health officials Wednesday reported 247 new COVID-19 infections and 12 additional fatalities, raising the region's totals to 41,324 cases and 721 deaths from the coronavirus.

Of the 4,556 tests reported Wednesday, 5% returned positive, increasing the 14-day rolling average of positive tests to 4.5%, still well below the state's 8% guideline. The seven-day average number of tests performed in the county is 6,339.

Meanwhile, San Diego State University reported another 44 confirmed or probable COVID-19 cases within the on- and off-campus student population. About 75% of students testing positive live in off-campus housing not managed by the university, with 73% of the cases among the freshman and sophomore classes.

The latest cases bring the university's total confirmed caseload to 440 since the fall semester began Aug. 24. There are also four probably cases currently undergoing a second round of testing.

The university announced over the weekend it has extended its stay-at-home order for students amid rising COVID-19 cases within the student population. The order directing students to stay in their current residences, except for essential needs, was originally set to expire at 6 a.m. Tuesday but will remain in effect through 9 a.m. Monday. Violations of the order may result in disciplinary consequences, the college said. — City News Service

Newsom Gives Tax Credit For Small Businesses Affected By Pandemic

– 3:30 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020

With millions of people out of work in California, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday signed a law giving tax breaks to small businesses that hire more workers over the next three months.

The law will offer businesses of 100 employees or less a credit of $1,000 on their state tax bills for each new employee hired by Dec. 1. It only applies to businesses that have lost at least half of their revenue from April to June this year compared to the same time period last year.

The credit is capped at $100 million statewide, or $100,000 for each business. Businesses get the credit only if they hire employees, not contractors. Small businesses that are owned by large companies are not eligible.

Newsom called it “one of the most significant tax credits in our state's history" because of the provisions that restrict the benefits to small businesses impacted by the pandemic.

“So often these open-ended tax credits go to a handful of well-resourced companies, not necessarily those small businesses that need them the most,” Newsom said.

California's economy has been devastated by the coronavirus pandemic as the Newsom administration ordered many businesses to close for months to slow the spread of the disease. Californian lost 2.4 million jobs in April, more than all the jobs lost during the Great Recession a decade ago. The state has added back nearly a third of those jobs since then, but the unemployment rate is still 13.3% — higher than it ever got during the Great Recession. — Associated Press

State Data Shows San Diego County Regressing In Fight Against COVID-19

– 5:52 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020

State data released Tuesday shows San Diego County is regressing in its fight against COVID-19, with the number of new cases per 100,000 people reaching 6.9 and the percentage of positive tests at 4.2%, perilously close to slipping into the "widespread" tier like much of the rest of the state.

The county is in Tier 2 or the "substantial" tier, the state's second most strict. With a slight bump in new cases per 100,000, San Diego could find itself closing recently opened businesses.

The numbers for the widespread tier — which every other Southern California county besides Orange County finds itself in — are 7 or more new cases per 100,000 and more than 8% positive testing. Just one of those above guidelines could be enough to push a county up a tier.

California releases its county data on Tuesdays.

San Diego County public health officials reported 211 new COVID-19 infections and two additional deaths Tuesday, raising the cumulative totals for the region to 41,077 cases and 709 deaths.

– City News Service

City Council Approves 80-Hour Mandated Sick Leave For Large Employers In City

– 5:06 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020

The San Diego City Council voted Tuesday to require temporary supplemental paid sick leave for full-time San Diego staffers of companies that employ more than 500 workers in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Councilman Chris Ward said the ordinance is a stop-gap measure between now and Sept. 30, the last day Gov. Gavin Newsom has to sign or veto bills before they become law. A pair of bills, one from the Assembly and one from the Senate, on the governor's desk would make the San Diego ordinance moot.

Both the local ordinance and the two state bills were drafted in response to the federal Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act, which went into effect April 1. The federal measure mandates certain employers provide their employees with paid sick leave when they are unable to work or telework for COVID-19 related reasons, but applies only to businesses with fewer than 500 employees, leaving out big companies around the country.

The local ordinance, which passed on a 7-2 vote, applies to large employers, of which San Diego has 147 within its borders. It mandates that those employers must provide 80 sick leave hours for COVID-19-related reasons. – City News Service

SDSU Extends Stay-At-Home Order Amid Rising COVID-19 Cases

– 8:30 a.m., Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020

San Diego State University announced it has extended its stay-at-home order for students through next Monday amid rising COVID-19 cases within the student population.

The order asking students to stay in their current residences, except for essential needs, was originally set to expire at 6 a.m. Tuesday, but will remain in effect through 9 a.m. Monday.

Violations of the order may result in disciplinary consequences, the college said.

The university reported another 63 confirmed or probable COVID-19 cases Monday within the on- and off-campus student population.

The latest cases raise the university's total caseload to 286 since fall semester began Aug. 24.

On Friday, San Diego County public health officials confirmed multiple clusters of COVID-19 cases within the university community among students. This includes the previously announced off-campus outbreak on Wednesday. – City News Service

SD County Reports 308 New COVID-19 Cases, Three New Deaths

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