Business Sector Weekly Telebriefing Recap—6/24/20

Every second and fourth Wednesday of the month, the Business Sector Support Team for the County of San Diego holds an informational telebriefing to help inform and answer questions for the community about important COVID-19 topics. This week's speakers included Gary S. Johnston, Chief Resilience Officer / Agency Representative, San Diego Office of Emergency Services, and Dr. Sayone Thihalolipavan, Medical Consultant, Public Health Services, Health and Human Services Agency. To recap, the meeting discussed: 

• The continually monitoring of the 13 triggers in the COVID-19 Triggers Dashboard.
  • Locally San Diego is seeing an increase in COVID-19 cases and community outbreaks.
• On June 18, 2020, the state of California released mandatory information on face coverings. Read more.​​​​​​​
  • All state guidelines will be updated to align with the new face covering requirement.
• There are exemptions to the face covering requirement. Please refer to the Public Health Order​​​​​​​ for more information.
• There will be no additional state guidelines until after July 4th.
• Fireworks, picnics and barbecues are allowed with household members for the fourth of July.
• The state released a guidance on responding to COVID-19 in the workplace for employers.

Followed by Questions asked from the community, and answers: 

• Swimming pool lanes
  • Individuals from the same household may swim laps in lanes next to each other; otherwise, swimmers must swim in lanes separated by 6ft or more. [Posted 6/24/20]
• Wearing face coverings in schools
  • Students can take off face coverings inside school if they remain 6ft apart. [Posted 6/24/20]
• Wearing face coverings in preschool or childcare
  • Until we get new guidelines from the state regarding face coverings in childcare, face coverings are recommended when children are within 6ft of other children or staff at an indoor facility. [Posted 6/24/20]
• Day camps
  • If day camp attendees are 6ft apart, they can remove their face coverings. Overall, it is recommended that children avoid close, prolonged contact with each other. [Posted 6/24/20]
• Outbreak settings
  • Outbreaks are happening in multiple types of settings - workplaces, private gatherings, social clubs, etc. Generally, outbreaks have been seen in settings where people are in close proximity with others for longer periods of time (especially indoors). Prevention includes social distance, face coverings, sanitation, and temperature screening. [Posted 6/24/20]
• Health screening questions
  • Refer to the CDC for the list of symptoms because they can change, and the CDC updates their page accordingly. [Posted 6/24/20]
• Employee with high temperature or answered “yes” to screening question
  • Ask individual to step aside, re-check their temperature, and have them call their doctor to get evaluated. If they do not have a doctor, they can call 2-1-1 for a referral to a local community clinic. If an individual does not have insurance, they can call county or state-led testing sites. [Posted 6/24/20]
• Temperature check range
  • If an individual’s temperature reads below 90F, the gauge has most likely malfunctioned. Normal body temperature should read around 96F or 97F, and a temperature above 100F is considered a potential COVID-19 symptom. [Posted 6/24/20]
• Temperature and symptom checks for employees
  • Temperature checks are required for employees. Employers should be screening employees for both COVID-19 symptoms and temperature, and the only exception would be if an employer is temporarily without a temperature gauge because it has malfunctioned. [Posted 6/24/20]
• Temperature check required for customers or just employees
  • Employers must complete for employees but can also check for customers. This would be an extra level of protection for your business. [Posted 6/24/20]
• Employee testing positive and county notification
  • You can call the Epidemiology Branch line at (619) 692-8499 if your employee  confirmed they tested positive but you have not yet heard from the county. They will give you more specific guidance on what to do in your scenario. Case investigators will determine which employers need to be contacted about close contact cases depending on the situation. [Posted 6/24/20]
• Contact Tracing Process
  • Employers can refer to the state guidance and video for information about the contract tracing process. [Posted 6/24/20]
• Travel and quarantine
  • CDC Guidance is to minimize non-essential travel. There is currently no need for an individual to self-quarantine after travelling unless they’ve travelled internationally to a country designed “Level 2”. [Posted 6/24/20]
• Definition of Outbreak
  • Please refer to this website for the definition of an outbreak in different settings. [Posted 6/24/20]
• Should employees who have allergy symptoms resembling COVID-19 symptoms get tested
  • Determination should be made by the employer, recommended to work with your business’s HR department to determine process. [Posted 6/24/20]
• Response to additional outbreaks
  • There may be a pause on new reopening’s if outbreaks increase, but the main response will be a focus on where the outbreak occurred. If outbreaks increase within a certain sector, county officials would focus on responding to that specific sector. [Posted 6/24/20]
• Live entertainment at restaurants and bars
  • Not allowed right now in any capacity even if the performer is socially distanced. You are invited to call 2-1-1 if you see live entertainment happening in a restaurant or bar. [Posted 6/24/20]

 
Websites/Resources mentioned:  

• Epidemiology Branch –  (619) 692-8499
• Contact Tracing video
• Poster Request
• State Roadmap
• Telebriefings Schedule
• Public Health Order
• Face Covering Guidance
• Responding to COVID-19 in the Workplace Guidance

 
 
***Please note:  The weekly Business Sector telebriefing has transitioned to a bi-monthly schedule. Effective July 2020, the business telebrief will occur every second and fourth  Wednesday of the month. For the month of July, please join us on Wednesday, July 8th and 22nd. Updated calendar reminders will be sent to reflect the change in schedule from COVID-Business@sdcounty.ca.gov in future email communications. Thank you.
  
We will be meeting again in two weeks on Wednesday, July 8th from 9:30 AM – 10:30 AM. To request resources, ask questions, or address concerns, please contact COVID-Business@sdcounty.ca.gov. ​