The county shared some pretty startling statistics yesterday. Not only has the number of U.S. COVID-19 positive cases passed the 1 million mark, the total number of deaths in the U.S. (60,316) is now greater than the total U.S. casualties from the conflict in Vietnam, which went on for 18 years. The COVID-19 emergency has gone on for the past two months.
Latest numbers, new charts
The county is reporting a new total of 3,432 COVID-19 cases, an increase of 118 from the day before. Carlsbad saw one additional confirmed case, bringing our total to 52. Regionwide, there have now, sadly, been 120 deaths from COVID-19.
In addition to the summary slide above, I want to call your attention to this new chart showing hospital bed capacity and utilization, which is something county officials are closely monitoring. Here is a link to all the charts and graphs released yesterday by the county.
Main county page on case data
County breakdown by age, gender, need for hospitalization
Bar chart showing changes in number of cases over time
Cases by city, ZIP code and a https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/dam/sdc/hhsa/programs/phs/Epidemiology/COVID-19%20City%20of%20Residence_MAP.pdf
Detailed look at cases requiring hospitalization
County dashboard (if you are viewing this on your phone, remember to hold it horizontally)
State breakdowns, interactive dashboard and an open data portal
Global dashboard
New rules coming out
There are reports that the governor will issue a new order to close all beaches and state parks starting tomorrow (Friday). The county has said it will issue an updated public health order today as well. We will share the details of both as soon as they are confirmed. You can follow updates as they happen on the city’s social media. If you’re not on social media, you can still follow live updates on this page from the city’s website that has our Twitter feed (you don’t have to have a Twitter account to see it).
Carlsbad parks, trails, beach, golf course update
We are still planning a special City Council meeting for tomorrow (Friday) at noon to discuss plans and timing for easing restrictions on parks, trails, our portion of the beach (only about one mile of the total seven miles of coastline in Carlsbad) and the city owned golf course. You can watch it online here or on TV if you have Spectrum or AT&T U-verse.
Who is “the county?”
Even though I am happy to wear the mantle of “government nerd,” I do try really hard to not use government jargon. However, some of you have asked why I keep mentioning “the county” and asking who exactly that includes. Last week I shared a high-level overview of who’s in charge of what decisions when it comes to COVID-19. Given that we’re expecting new public health orders from the state and county today, I thought I’d share this video put out earlier in the public health emergency by the Voice of San Diego, an online news outlet. It explains the roles of government agencies during an emergency, including a good explanation of the various public health officials at the County of San Diego, their backgrounds and their powers. It also covers some of the same ground I already shared with you:
State makes decisions that all cities and counties must follow.
Counties can be more strict than the state orders but not less.
Cities can be more strict that county and state orders, but not less.
Other cities, counties, states
I’ve seen the same reports you have about some cities and counties in California deviating from state orders, and some states deviating from federal guidelines. I don’t have any special insight into these reports other than it likely speaks to the fact that things are changing quickly and government agencies are managing an unprecedented public health emergency in real time.
We will continue to do our very best to communicate the rules that apply to Carlsbad as clearly as possible.
Face coverings now available
One of the changes the county has already said it will make starting tomorrow May 1 is to require everyone to wear face coverings when they leave their homes and cannot maintain a 6-foot distance from people not in their households.
You also have likely been following our Sew2Care campaign. I am pleased to announce we will hold our first distribution tomorrow, Friday, May 1.
If you are a Carlsbad resident or employee of one of our local companies and need a face covering, please come:
City of Carlsbad Public Safety and Service Center
2560 Orion Way, Carlsbad, 92010
Friday, May 1
noon – 5 p.m. (or until supplies last)
When you pull onto Orion Way from Faraday, just follow the signs. Since this is our first distribution event, we’ll be limiting the number of face coverings to six per household or individual employee.
Once again, a heartfelt thank you to our Sew2Care volunteers for generously sharing their talents and creativity to care for our Carlsbad community!
If you can volunteer to make (or make even more) face coverings, please sign up here. We will follow up with all the details you need to get started.
Webinar for local businesses
Today at 2 p.m. the City of Carlsbad, Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce and the Carlsbad Village Association will host a webinar for local businesses to learn about economic recovery and revitalization efforts in Carlsbad. Panelists include David Graham, Chief Innovation Officer for the City of Carlsbad, Bret Schanzenbach, President and CEO of the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce, and Christine Davis, Executive Director of the Carlsbad Village Association.
Care4Carlsbad
In the midst of all this, we continue to be amazed at the resilience and caring demonstrated by the Carlsbad community. Here’s a story that caught our eye earlier in the week. A local resident created a communal “thank you” poster that has brought her neighborhood together to recognize the essential workers keeping things running during COVID-19. The colorful cards thank health care workers, mail deliverers, police, mental health service providers, grocery and food bank employees, and more. The poster holds more than a dozen cards of gratitude. It’s simple gestures like this that remind us that a “thank you” can go a long way.
Tomorrow’s update will likely be a big one, breaking down exactly what the new state and county public health orders mean for Carlsbad. Until then, please keep doing what you’re doing. It’s working, and together we are protecting those most vulnerable in our community.
Scott Chadwick
City Manager
