Business & Tech

More Businesses Allowed To Reopen In San Diego County

San Diego County approved the opening of another round of businesses and services Tuesday.

City News Service, News Partner

SAN DIEGO COUNTY, CA — San Diego County approved the opening of another round of businesses and services Tuesday, following Gov. Gavin Newsom's guidance toward reopening California's economy, as county officials reported 96 new COVID-19 cases and 15 additional deaths.

Office-based businesses are permitted to reopen, although Supervisor Nathan Fletcher said county health officials still "strongly encourage telework."

Malls — indoor, outdoor and strip malls — are also allowed to reopen for curbside pickup and delivery only.

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Other businesses or services able to open Tuesday included car washes, pet grooming businesses, landscaping businesses and outdoor museums and gathering places.

These businesses can open as soon as ready, but must first fill out the safe reopening plan located on the county's website.

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Newsom also released guidelines for the state's restaurant industry to reopen safely. While there is no timeline attached to opening restaurants, the guidelines allow business owners to prepare for that day.

"We are moving consistently as a state," Fletcher said.

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With the new case numbers and deaths reported Tuesday, the county's totals rose to 5,161 cases and 190 deaths. The 15 additional deaths occurred between May 7 and May 11. All of the deceased had underlying health conditions and their ages ranged from 56 to 92, according to Dr. Wilma Wooten, the county's public health officer.

The county reported 2,440 tests Tuesday and has completed a total of 84,556. Among those tests are 1,126 at the San Diego Convention Center among staff, volunteers and residents.

Of the tests reported Tuesday, 4% were positive, bringing the rolling total to under 5%.

Fletcher said the biggest challenge going forward for local governments was to build up testing and tracing capabilities, something he said would continue long after businesses reopen.

San Diego County brought a few more contact tracer employees onboard since Monday, raising the total to 170, and has completed 6,294 contact investigations. The county has a goal of hiring 450 total contact tracers.

As of Tuesday, 400 COVID-19 patients are hospitalized, with 144 in intensive care units.

Since the pandemic began, 996 people have been hospitalized in the county, with 309 spending some time in intensive care. There have been an estimated 3,124 recoveries from the illness in the region.

"The metrics are all trending in the right direction," Wooten said.

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