Here is a list of the major developments in the coronavirus epidemic facing San Diego County, updated at 9:30 p.m. on Friday.
• There have been 1,112 cases of coronavirus disease and 17 deaths among San Diego County residents as of Friday afternoon.
• Across California there have been 10,701 cases and 237 deaths as of Friday afternoon.
• Coronavirus cases in San Diego County topped 1,000, but county health officials said it was a good sign that cases are not growing as fast as the number of tests.
• Businesses still open and serving the public scrambled to comply with San Diego County’s new health order requiring all employees who interact with the public to wear facial coverings.
• The San Diego Unified School District announced it set a “soft launch” for distance learning to begin Monday and continue through April 24.
• Capt. Brett Crozier was cheered by his crew as he left the coronavirus-wracked aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt after being relieved of duty.
• Oceanside, one of the last two cities in San Diego County to keep its beaches open amid the coronavirus pandemic, will close them at midnight Friday.
• Four employees of the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department and an inmate in one of the local jails have tested positive for COVID-19.
• Chula Vista City Councilman Steve Padilla reports that he is off a ventilator and out of intensive care in his battle with deadly coronavirus.
• The San Diego County Democratic Party’s office in Kearny Mesa is temporarily closed, but Will Rodriguez-Kennedy, the party chair who is recovering from coronavirus himself, said the staff is working remotely.
• Defense attorneys in San Diego are pushing to have their clients and other federal detainees released from custody, saying they’re at risk of contracting COVID-19.
• A person living in Father Joe’s Villages transition housing tested positive for coronavirus and was transferred to a hotel room rented by the county to prevent further spread of the virus.
• Rady Children’s Hospital and the Rock Church are coordinating donations of medical-grade masks, face shields, ventilators and other critically low equipment needed across San Diego County.
• The average price of a gallon of self-serve gasoline in San Diego County dropped to its lowest level since Oct. 21, 2017, amid the pandemic.
• Times of San Diego’s popular weekend guide is all over ideas for stay-at-home entertainment amid the coronavirus pandemic.
• The San Diego Foundation announced that donations to its COVID-19 Community Response Fund have reached $6.8 million and $1.7 million of that has been dispersed to nonprofit organizations.
• Verizon is giving $2.5 million to the Local Initiatives Support Corp. for grants of up to $10,000 for businesses and nonprofits facing immediate financial pressure because of COVID-19 — especially entrepreneurs of color, women-owned businesses and enterprises in historically underserved communities.
• San Diego State University’s master of fine arts musical theatre program is offering a free series of online interviews and Q&A sessions with top industry professionals. Sessions are 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from April 6 to May 6.
• San Diego-based Gryphon Online Safety is donating 100 of its wifi routers to low-income families in Southern California in need of safe and secure Internet access during California’s ongoing stay-at-home order.
• The now-closed alternative music venue The Casbah in Little Italy introduced a YouTube channel with a playlist of past concerts.
If your organization has relevant news to add to this daily list, please send to news@timesofsandiego.com.
