Business Sector Weekly Telebriefing Recap - 9/10/20

Thank you to everyone who was able to join us for our weekly 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, and Dr. Sayone Thihalolipavan, Medical Consultant, Public Health Services, Health and Human Services Agency, for joining us to help inform and answer questions for the business community about important COVID-19 topics.

To recap, we discussed the following highlights:

• September 8 cases and trends in San Diego County:
  • Total cases: 41,077
  • 20 – 49 year old age group total cases: 23,952 or 58.4% of all cases
  • % Testing positivity (7-day average with a 7-day lag): 4.2%
  • Case rate per 100,000: 5.8
  • 709 deaths
  • Community outbreaks: 3 over the prior 7 days
    • 2 in businesses and 1 in a restaurant
• On September 4, the Safe Reopening Plan template has been revised for temperature and symptom screening which now includes self-screening or self-temperature checks under area B.
• On September 6, SDSU reported 396 confirmed COVID-19 cases. No faculty or staff identified
• At least 1 person, and possibly others may have been exposed to rabies while visiting the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in San Pasqual on Sunday, September 6. If anyone knows the identity of these park visitors or anyone else at the park at that time, or who is concerned they may have been potentially exposed to the bat, call 619-692-8499. 
  • Currently 5 bat positive rabies cases collected in 2020.
  • Uniformly fatal to persons exposed to the disease if not treated early.

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Followed by Questions asked from the community, and answers:

• Military’s Authority to Require Employee Quarantine under Families First Coronavirus Response Act
  • While the Department of Defense can set their own quarantine and isolation requirements separate from the Public Health Order, local San Diego military installations have worked with the county to align with the Public Health Order requirements. For the steps to take if an employee is suspected or confirmed positive to have COVID-19, see the Positive Employee Flowchart. [Posted 9/9/20]
• Limit to Number of People Gathering Outdoors 
  • No set limit to number of people allowed to gather outdoors. Use the natural setting space to determine the capacity, taking into account the ability of individuals to physically distance 6 ft. However, an outdoor venue owner may set limitations to how many people are allowed at once. [Posted 9/9/20]
• Live Entertainment in Restaurants/Private Clubs
  • Live entertainment in restaurants and bars is currently still prohibited by the state, due to their ability to be catalysts for COVID-19 spread. [Posted 9/9/20]
• 10% Capacity Metric
  • The capacity metric refers to the total “occupancy” or individuals allowed in that particular setting or building. [Posted 9/9/20]
• Stay at Home Recommendation for Individuals 65+ or with Chronic Conditions
  • Sections 1 and 17 of the Public Health Order suggest that older adults and those with chronic conditions should stay home when they can. [Posted 9/9/20]
• Outdoor Buskers Entertainers
  • Live entertainment is not allowed because it creates crowd gatherings, which can be a catalyst for COVID-19 transmission. [Posted 9/9/20]
• Face Shields v. Face Coverings
  • Face shields are an alternative to face coverings only when individuals cannot use the face covering due to medical or behavioral conditions. Face shields are not fully enclosed and the barrier doesn’t completely cover the nose and mouth, so those wearing a face shield should also have a drape at the bottom of the shield. If there is a workplace safety concern, this should be addressed to CalOSHA to make a determination. See Guidance for Face Coverings and the COVID-19 E-Toolkit. [Posted 9/9/20]
• SDSU Students Included in Case Count
  • SDSU students are included in the San Diego case count. The bulk of the students are not CA residents, but they are counted in the case rate cohort. See Figure 8 in the COVID-19 Watch for case counts over time by age group. [Posted 9/9/20]
• Wearing Masks in Fitness Centers
  • The State’s guidance indicated that if you are at a workout location and you are at least 6 ft apart, you can remove the face covering. Gyms/fitness centers are allowed to be more strict about these protocols. See Guidance for Fitness Facilities. [Posted 9/9/20]
• Cases of Non-Household Members on Boats
  • Anytime you are bringing people from different households together we are increasing risks. Currently the Public Health Order still does not allow gatherings in general between non-household members. [Posted 9/9/20]
• Case Rate and Tier Movement
  • See the rules for tier movement below, found in the “Moving through the Tiers” section of the Plan for Reducing COVID-19 and Adjusting Permitted Sector Activities to Keep Californians Healthy and Safe:
  • Rules of the framework:
    • A county must remain in a tier for a minimum of three weeks before being able to advance to a less restrictive tier.
    • A county can only move forward one tier at a time, even if metrics qualify for a more advanced tier.
    • If a county's adjusted case rate for tier assignment and test positivity measure fall into two different tiers, the county will be assigned to the more restrictive tier. [Posted 9/9/20]
• Outdoor and Indoor Hot Tubs
  • No distinction made by state between indoor and outdoor hot tubs. Hot tubs like saunas should be closed. [Posted 9/9/20]
• Incorporated City Enforcement for Sidewalk/Food Vendors
  • Incorporated cities can and should be enforcing County Public Health Order and all State Industry Reopening Guidance. To report health order violations, call (858) 694-2900 or email SafeReopeningComplianceTeam@sdcounty.ca.gov. [Posted 9/9/20]
• Weekend Street Markets
  • Arts and crafts booths and swap meets can fall under State Retail guidance. They should follow Public Health and Safety protocols consistent with the County Public Health Order and State Reopening Guidance documents. Organizers and/or vendors should have a Safe Reopening Plan and those plans should be posted and enforced. [Posted 9/9/20]
• Nursing Homes, Prisons Counted in Metrics
  • Nursing homes and other non-nursing home congregate facilities are NOT counted in our local Community Outbreaks Trigger. Outbreaks in this setting are also not counted for the state’s Tier system; however, the cases are reflected in the state’s calculated case rate and testing positivity rate (unlike prisons). State and federal prisons are not counted whereas county detention centers are counted/included. In terms of whether the state and federal prison cases should be counted that is a policy decision likely due to the fact that prison members do not leave AND are not necessarily from those communities where they are imprisoned. [Posted 9/9/20]

Websites/Resources mentioned:

• Public Health Order
• Business Sector Website
• Business Sector email address: COVID-Business@sdcounty.ca.gov 
• State COVID-19 Page  
• Blue Print for a Safer Economy
• Safe Reopening Plan
• Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA or Act)
• Positive Employee Flowchart
• Health Officer Order - Quarantine
• Guidance for Face Coverings
• MaskUpSD e-toolkit
• COVID-19 Employer Playbook for Safe Reopening
• To report health order violations, call (858) 694-2900 or email SafeReopeningComplianceTeam@sdcounty.ca.gov. 
• Steps for Students Challenge - combat hunger by turning your exercise into donated meals for local students in need.
• Employers must notify County of San Diego Public Health Services about an employee who tests positive with COVID-19 by calling (888) 950-9905. Leave a message with your name and contact number, name of business, and employee’s name, date of birth, and contact information.
• County of San Diego’s Youth Emergency Readiness Ambassadors are producing educational materials for a county-wide outreach initiative to prepare San Diego youth for natural disasters, health crises like COVID-19, and more. If your organization serves youth, and would like to disseminate youth-focused materials about COVID-19 and emergency preparedness, please fill out this form.
• Healthy San Diego Health Plan Contact Card - Medi-Cal Managed Care Plans cover transportation to all Medi-Cal covered services including Specialty Mental Health, Drug Medi-Cal Organized Delivery System, Denti-Cal, and the temporary isolation hotels.

We will be meeting again Wednesday, September 23rd from 9:30 AM – 10:30 AM. To request resources, ask questions, or address concerns, please contact COVID-Business@sdcounty.ca.gov.