Here is a list of the major developments in the coronavirus epidemic facing San Diego County, updated at 7:25 p.m. on Wednesday.
• There have been 849 cases of coronavirus disease and 15 deaths among San Diego County residents as of Wednesday afternoon.
• Across California there have been 8,155 cases and 171 deaths as of Tuesday afternoon.
• Health officials reported five more deaths from coronavirus and 115 news cases in San Diego County. The deaths included a 90-year-old woman and four men aged 83, 74, 73 and 71.
• The San Diego Convention Center opened its doors to the city’s homeless in an effort to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
• The governor of Guam announced the island territory will provide vacant hotel rooms to house crew from the USS Theodore Roosevelt who do not have coronavirus.
• Appearing with the state Board of Education Chair Linda Darling-Hammond, San Diego Unified schools Superintendent Cindy Marten assured families that students would get credit for the work they’ve done, and the work to come.
• A San Diego tenants rights group urged its members not to pay rent for the duration of the health crisis, leading to rebuttals from landlord and property management groups.
• San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer ordered that all vacant and surplus city properties be made available to accommodate an “expected surge” in COVID-19 patients, with hopes of preventing hospitals from becoming overwhelmed.
• The People’s Alliance for Justice announced the establishment of a task force made up of attorneys in San Diego and Los Angeles counties who will provide free legal representation to Asian Americans who have experienced discrimination due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The FBI called on San Diego-area parents to beware of the potential for heightened child exploitation dangers amid school closures stemming from the coronavirus crisis.
• A San Diego-based biotech Cue Health was awarded a $13 million federal contract to fund the development of a coronavirus diagnostic test that can provide results in under 25 minutes.
• SeaWorld San Diego may be closed to tourists, but the park’s rescue team is still at work, returning five California sea lions, one northern elephant seal and three shorebirds to the wild after several weeks of rehabilitation.
• America’s largest state has been under a stay-at-home order for more than two weeks, but a new study suggests the economic impact could be limited.
• A Stanford University professor does the math to show that the value of the lives saved by California’s stay-at-home policy is greater than the potential economic cost.
• In preparation for next week’s transition to distance learning, the Poway Unified School District will be distributing over 6,000 Chromebooks to students and families who have requested access to a device.
• Dudley’s Bakery in Santa Ysabel said it is now open seven days a week — 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays with special seniors-only shopping hours 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. Monday and Thursday.
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