County is off state watchlist
(Aug. 18) San Diego County was removed Tuesday from the state’s County Monitoring List, but local businesses are still under restrictions. The County met a state metric for fewer than 100 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people for a third consecutive day on Monday.
The case rate must remain under 100 for an additional 14 days, until Aug. 31, before K through 12 schools can reopen, if they choose to do so.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Should the County stay below those marks for 14 days, schools would be allowed to physically reopen campuses, pending the decision of the school district. San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) would base its decision on new strict standards adopted and developed in collaboration with health experts from the University of California, San Diego. SDUSD now has its own set of case metrics as well as its own standards of physical safety measures which must be in place before it will allow schools to reopen, according to an Aug. 10 announcement.
Business restrictions remain
For now, all current restrictions on businesses or other activities, including those required to operate outdoors, remain in place. The restrictions will continue even after the 14-day period, unless the state provides additional guidance.
“Getting off the state’s County Monitoring List is a great first step, but we need to keep it up for another two weeks before all schools can open for in-person learning,” said Wilma Wooten, M.D., M.P.H., County public health officer.
The County was placed on the state’s Monitoring List more than six weeks ago, on July 3. To continue the downward trend in County case numbers, Dr. Wooten urged San Diegans to continue to wear face coverings, keep six feet apart, avoid large gatherings, frequently wash your hands and stay home if sick.