55 Coronavirus Cases Confirmed In San Diego County

SAN DIEGO, CA — The number of coronavirus cases in San Diego County has spiked to 55, prompting county officials on Monday to issue a sweeping public health order for the region.

As of Monday, 47 county residents have tested positive for coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, as well as four people under federal quarantine and four non-county residents, according to officials.

Only 11 coronavirus cases were reported Friday. The number of cases reached 39 on Sunday.

In an effort to limit the spread of the rapidly-spreading virus, the county announced a comprehensive public health order on Monday. At midnight, the following orders will go into effect:

• All public and private gatherings of 50 or more people are legally prohibited, and all nonessential gatherings of any size are strongly discouraged.
• All bars, adult entertainment businesses and any business which serves alcohol and not food are to close.
• All restaurants must prohibit dine-in service and restrict services to drive-through, take-out and delivery. Restaurants and employees are urged to follow social distancing guidelines during this time.
• Businesses that require a doctor's note for a leave of absence must suspend those policies until the public health crisis is over.
• All public schools must cancel all classes, gatherings and events.
• Nonessential personnel are prohibited from entering hospitals and long-term care facilities, and all essential personnel displaying symptoms of COVID-19 are prohibited.
• Hospitals with confirmed cases of COVID-19 must report such cases immediately to county health officials.
• All people traveling to San Diego County from China, Iran, South Korea, Italy or any other country at extreme contagion risk must self- quarantine in their homes for 14 days, regardless if they show symptoms or not.
• All people showing symptoms of COVID-19 must self isolate in their homes.

Officials also strongly recommended all people 65 and older as well as people with chronic medical conditions and people with compromised immune systems to stay home. Hospitals were urged to delay elective procedures.

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Schools throughout the county were closed Monday in an effort to limit the spread of coronavirus.

Encinitas Union School District reported late Sunday that a person at Olivenhain Pioneer Elementary School tested presumptive positive for coronavirus. The district has not yet said whether the infected person was a student, teacher or school employee. It was not immediately clear if that person was included in the 39 cases confirmed by county officials.

A parent of children who attend the San Diego Jewish Academy in Carmel Valley also tested positive for coronavirus, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

In addition, a San Diego State University student who studied abroad and a University of San Diego graduate student living off campus have tested positive for the virus.

Over the weekend, a sailor from Naval Base San Diego tested presumptive positive for coronavirus. The sailor is quarantined at home and the positive test result is pending confirmation by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Another sailor aboard the USS Boxer tested presumptive positive for the virus and is now in isolation at an off-base residence, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported. The case is the first among ship-based U.S. Navy sailors.

Two Marines at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar also tested positive for the virus.

UC San Diego Health confirmed that two health care workers tested positive for the virus.

Finally, Chula Vista City Councilman Steve Padilla announced that he tested positive for the virus. He is in isolation at home.

On Sunday, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that Californians over the age of 65 should isolate themselves from others, and bars and pubs should close their doors in an effort to limit the spread of coronavirus.

The CDC later announced new guidelines, recommending that gatherings of 50 people or more in the U.S. be canceled or postponed for at least eight weeks.

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Patch editor Kristina Houck and City News Service contributed to this report.