Business Sector Weekly Telebriefing Recap—7/01/20

Thank you to everyone who was able to join us for today’s COVID-19 Business telebrief. A special thank you to our telebriefing guests, Gary S. Johnston, Chief Resilience Officer / Agency Representative, San Diego Office of Emergency Services, and Dr. Thomas R. Coleman, Medical Director, Maternal, Child and Family Health, Health and Human Services Agency, for joining us to help inform and answer questions for the community about important COVID-19 topics. ​

To recap, we discussed the following highlights: 

• Per the updated Public Health Order effective today, July 1st all restaurants, bars, wineries, distilleries, and breweries that comply with section 14c shall be closed from 10:00 p.m. until 5:00 a.m. every day.  
• The Safe Reopening page has been updated to align with the new Public Health Order. 
• We are seeing an increase in positive COVID-19 cases, specifically those in age group 20-29 years. 
• Our “Community Outbreaks” trigger is red on the Trigger Dashboard, as there have been 10 new outbreaks in the last 7 days. Almost half of the community outbreaks occurred at businesses, bars, or restaurants. 
• We are not one of the counties on the governor’s watchlist right now, but we need to continue to be vigilant. 

Followed by Questions asked from the community, and answers: 

• Face Coverings in Private Schools/Educational Services  
  
  • State guidelines make face coverings for people 2 years or older mandatory. Currently waiting for an update on school guidelines to reflect the state’s guidance. [Posted 7/01/2020] 
    
• Recommendations for Employee Adherence  
  
  • Address the noncompliance concern with employees. Recommend going over Safe Reopening Plan together as a team. Seek disciplinary actions as last resort. [Posted 7/01/2020] 
    
• Face Masks/Social Distance in Fitness Facilities  
  
  • Face masks are required in any facility outside your house. In a fitness facility you can pull your mask down if you can maintain six feet of distance from somebody. [Posted 7/01/2020] 
    
• Quarantine/Isolation after Testing Positive & Returning to Work 
  
  • Item 21 on the current Public Health Order provides a link for more specific scenarios that can occur after testing positive and procedures to follow. Look at criteria that would allow the person to return to work. [Posted 7/01/2020] 
    
• Quarantine Order in Public Health Order  
  
  • Quarantine order states that quarantine is needed when there is close contact with a person diagnosed with COVID-19 within 6 feet and more than 10 minutes. [Posted 7/01/2020] 
    
• Weddings/Events in Backyards 
  
  • Wedding ceremonies follow faith based opening guidelines. If you want to have the ceremony at a park or beach, you must still follow the guidelines and churches are still required to have a safe opening plan. Backyard events are prohibited, they are not following item 2 on the Public Health Order. [Posted 7/01/2020] 
    
• Estimate Closure Time on Wine Bars, Wineries, and Bars not Serving Food  
  
  • It is currently undetermined. [Posted 7/01/2020] 
    
• Wine Tasting Rooms  
  
  • Section 14 of Public Health Order paragraph C states requirements for wine tasting that are outdoors. Indoor settings are not allowed. [Posted 7/01/2020] 
    
• Banquet Hall Parties 
  
  • Banquet hall parties are not authorized at this time. [Posted 7/01/2020] 
    
• COVID-19 Safety Adherence around Bars  
  
  • There is a marketing campaign currently working on targeting specialized populations. There is an opportunity to provide input by sending information to this email:COVID-Business@sdcounty.ca.gov. [Posted 7/01/2020]
    
• Small Business Funds Status 
  
  • Please see resources for opportunities on business loans: SBA and San Diego Foundation.   [Posted 7/01/2020] 
    
• Tenant Resources 
  
  • Please see resources for tenant assistance: San Diego County Bar Association and Legal Aid Society of San Diego. [Posted 7/01/2020] 
    
• Statistics on Outdoor Transmission  
  
  • Currently, not aware on any outdoor COVID-19 outbreaks. [Posted 7/01/2020] 
    
• Bar/Winery Partnerships with Food Caterers  
  
  • Section 14C of Public Health Order states alcoholic drinks shall only be served as part of a meal and must be sold and served in the same transaction as the meal. All meals should be served by a food operator permitted by the San Diego County Department of Environmental Health. [Posted 7/01/2020] 
    
• Employee Quarantine After Traveling to COVID-19 Hotspot  
  
  • Find out details (screening questions) to determine what procedures to follow. [Posted 7/01/2020] 
    
• Fans in Facilities  
  
  • Think about positioning fans in places where it does not get in contact with other people. [Posted 7/01/2020] 
    
• Symptomatic Person Testing Negative 
  
  • Follow criteria in Public Health Order. Please review the state guidelines for Responding to COVID-19 in the Workplace for more guidance. [Posted 7/01/2020] 
    
• Face Coverings in Pre-Schools 
  
  • Section 9 in Public Health Order refers to face coverings. [Posted 7/01/2020] 
    
• Number of Cases for an Outbreak  
  
  • An outbreak is defined as 3 cases that are epidemiologically linked in terms of close contact in separate households. [Posted 7/01/2020] 
    
• Areas of San Diego with Outbreaks  
  
  • They are countywide. [Posted 7/01/2020] 
    
• Closure for Certain Areas instead of Countywide  
  
  • Guidance is for whole County. [Posted 7/01/2020] 
    
• Face Coverings with Exhalation Valves 
  
  • Do not recommend. [Posted 7/01/2020] 
    
• Face Covering Not Covering Nose 
  
  • You need to cover your nose and mouth to protect self and others. [Posted 7/01/2020] 
    
• Golf Course Transmission  
  
  • There are no current outbreaks at golf courses. [Posted 7/01/2020] 

 
Websites/Resources mentioned:  

• Safe Reopening Page  
  
• Small Business Association Disaster Loans  
  
• San Diego County COVID-19 Small Business & Nonprofit Loan Program (SBNLP) 
  
• Legal Aid Society of San Diego’s Housing Resources - Information about tenant rights, eviction, foreclosure, and landlord-tenant issues. 
  
• SD Food Info – Food service resources including a list and map of places approved to serve food. 
  
• Health Officers Orders Impacting Food Facilities Q&A 

 
We will be meeting again next 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. ​