Starting at sunrise on Monday, April 27, swimming, surfing, paddleboarding, and kayaking will be allowed in the ocean and bays. The city of San Diego beaches will also allow walking and running on the sand.

“Thank you, San Diego, for staying strong,” said Mayor Kevin L. Faulconer. “Let’s do this right. Our lifeguards are ready. We’ll start with Phase 1 (of the beach re-opening plan). Your actions will determine if there’s a Phase 2.”

Sitting or lying on the sand will be prohibited. Group activities like volleyball and other team sports are not permitted and boating is still banned. Beach parking lots, boardwalks, piers, and Fiesta Island will remain closed during Phase 1.

“We want to remind everyone the stay-at-home order is still in effect. So you come to the beach, you get your exercise, and then you go back and comply with the stay-at-home order,” said Lifeguard Division Chief James Gartland at a press conference in Mission Beach on April 25.

Also starting May 1, some restrictions will be relaxed for parks and golf courses if they can enforce social distancing. Operators of a park or golf course need to create and post a plan for how they will do that. If they maintain social distancing:

• Parks can reopen parking lots, with limitations.

• Park visitors can sit, lie down, picnic if they practice social distancing.

• Members of a family or household can play active sports, such as basketball.

Starting May 1, everyone must wear face coverings anywhere in public they come within six feet of another person.

“We want to have people come out and enjoy the beach,” said San Diego Police Chief David Nisleit at the April 25 press conference. “We know people have been very eager to get back out and we understand that but we need people to adhere to the rules because that allows us to stop the spread, and that allows us to get to Phase 2.”

He added that people who do not follow the rules of social distancing and wearing a facemask will be cited. “[But] we don’t want to do that,” Nisleit said.

WHAT THE ORDERS MEAN

• Everyone needs to stay home except to take care of essential needs or go to an essential job. 

• Practice social distancing. Keep at least six feet away from other people unless they’re household members. Avoid gatherings of any size.

• You should wear a face-covering when leaving home. Cloth facial coverings don’t have to be medical grade but should cover your nose and mouth. Homemade masks, bandanas, scarves, and neck gaiters are OK since you can wash and reuse them. Learn how to make a face covering.

• It is strongly recommended you stay home, unless you need medical care, if:

  • You are over 65 years old;

  • Have a chronic underlying health condition;

  • Have a compromised immune system;

  • Have mild to moderate symptoms of COVID-19.

WHAT IS OPEN?

You need to follow social distancing when you visit these essential services, including:

• Grocery stores, farmers markets, food banks, convenience stores;

• Restaurants for take-out, delivery or drive-through;

• Pharmacies;

• Banks;

• Laundromats/laundry;

• Hardware/home improvement stores;

• Airports and public transportation;

• Childcare (see below).

Essential government services are still available. Many government agencies have closed public offices but are offering services online, over the phone, or in other ways. 

WHAT’S CLOSED?

• Dine-in areas of restaurants;

• Bars and nightclubs;

• Gyms and fitness centers;

• Hair and nail salons;

• Entertainment venues;

• Beach parking lots. Some parks are closed;

• Public events and gatherings.

If you are unsure if a business is open, call them or visit their website to see what services they may be providing.

BUSINESSES

Businesses and organizations that provide critical infrastructure are exempted, including health care and public health, public safety, food and agriculture, and media.

Businesses allowed to stay open must also practice social distancing and encourage employees to work from home if possible. They must also suspend requiring employees to provide doctors’ permission to stay home.

All employees of these essential businesses that have contact with the public must wear facial coverings: supermarkets, grocery stores, gas stations, convenience stores, restaurants, pharmacies, childcare facilities that serve food, banks, and public transportation. 

A business selling food must have a current permit to sell food from the County Department of Environmental Health. All businesses that are open need to post their social distancing plan.

SCHOOLS AND CHILDCARE

All public and private schools, colleges and universities are closed. Parents of minor children must take steps to keep them at home.

Childcare facilities are still open, but only for children of parents working in essential sectors. Daycare centers that remain open should employ heightened cleaning and distancing requirements. Babysitters may also come to the house to care for minors of parents working in essential sectors.

As much as possible, childcare facilities need to operate in the following way:

• Limit groups of children to no more than 10.

• Children must stay in the same group and must not move from one group to another.

• The providers/teachers must stay with one group of children and not mix among groups.

• If there is more than one group at a facility, they need to be in separate rooms.

Babysitters may come to the house to care for children of parents working in essential sectors.

HEALTH CARE AND HELPING RELATIVES

In most situations, visiting someone in a hospital or long-term care facility is no longer allowed. Exceptions may be made for family or friends to visit a patient in an end-of-life situation or to allow parents or guardians to visit a child who is a patient, for example.

Non-essential medical care (for example, eye exams, teeth cleaning, elective procedures) should be canceled or rescheduled. If possible, health care visits should be done remotely. Contact your healthcare provider to see what telemedicine services they are providing.

If you are feeling sick with fever or cough or other symptoms, first call your doctor, a nurse hotline, an urgent care center, or 2-1-1. 

If you need to go to the hospital, call ahead so they can prepare for your arrival. If you need to call 911, tell the 911 operator the exact symptoms you are experiencing so the emergency medical providers can prepare to treat you safely.

You can care for elderly or disabled parents or friends if you are not feeling sick. Be sure that you protect them and yourself by following social distancing guidelines such as washing hands before and after, using hand sanitizer, maintaining at least six feet of distance when possible, and coughing or sneezing into your elbow or a tissue, throwing the tissue away, and then washing your hands. If you have early signs of a cold, please stay away from your older loved ones.

GOING OUTDOORS

You may go outside for exercise if you can keep six feet away from people who are not members of your household. Avoid groups and crowded outdoor spaces and hiking trails. All parking lots for public parks and beaches are closed. You should go to a park within walking distance of your home. 

WHY ARE WE DOING THIS?

The goal is to “flatten the curve.” This means slowing the spread of the virus to give the healthcare system time to be as prepared as possible to care for all patients.

Since there is no vaccine to prevent or medicine to treat COVID-19, preventing the spread of the virus to new people is critical. In addition to social distancing, other protective measures everyone must take include:

• Wash your hands often;

• Don’t touch your face;

• Clean highly used household surfaces often.

COVID-19 CASES

The number of local COVID-19 deaths went up by two and total cases saw a record increase for the second day in a row with an additional 183 confirmed cases, the County Health and Human Services Agency announced today.

Both deaths were women, one in her late 40s, the other in her 60s. One of them died April 22 and the other died April 23. Both had underlying medical conditions.

“Our sincerest sympathies and condolences go out to the family and friends of the deaths announced today,” said Wilma Wooten, M.D., M.P.H., County public health officer. “We are very sensitive to the tremendous sacrifices being made by the community and I would like to commend the public for staying the course and staying home to decrease the spread of COVID-19.”

To date, 102 San Diegans have died from complications of COVID-19. Of the people who have died, 89 were 60 years and older; 56 were men and 46 were women. Age, gender, and ethnic/race breakdowns for cases and deaths are posted at coronavirus-sd.com.