Here is a list of the major developments in the coronavirus epidemic facing San Diego County, updated at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 21.
• There have been 6,315 cases and 241 deaths among San Diego County residents as of Thursday afternoon.
• Across California there have been 86,197 cases and 3,542 deaths as of Thursday afternoon.
• Across the United States, there have been 1,576,542 cases and 94,661 deaths as of Thursday afternoon, according to Johns Hopkins University.
• San Diego County public health officials reported 175 new coronavirus cases and 11 deaths.
• Some San Diego restaurants opened for dine-in breakfast, and more were preparing to open in the evening and over the coming week after California approved accelerated Stage 2 reopenings with social-distancing restrictions.
• CVS Health announced it will open seven drive-thru testing sites across San Diego County starting Friday.
• Westfield shopping centers throughout San Diego will open the doors to in-store shopping on May 29 under modified hours and health and safety protocols to protect customers and employees.
• Haney Hong, president and CEO of the San Diego County Taxpayers Association, issued a statement saying San Diego’s plan to cut “services like library hours, parks and recreation as well as cohesive across-the-board funding reductions to city departments, as tough as they are, is a better longer-term strategy” to deal with city finances.
• A Seattle judge heard a vigorous debate over whether Fox News should be punished for allegedly harming public health with some of its COVID-19 coverage. But he didn’t rule immediately on a Fox Corp. motion to dismiss the case.
• Over 1,400 San Diego inmates have been released early due to COVID-19. Second Chance Program, a local nonprofit focused on helping formerly incarcerated San Diegans find work and build pathways to self-sufficiency, has just launched a virtual Job Readiness Program to help these individuals transition during this difficult time.
• San Diego’s Kathryn Cloward, who’s written a series of “Kathryn the Grape” children’s books, has published “It’s OK to Cry,” a resource for parents navigating difficult conversations with their children about COVID-19.
• Hera Hub will be opening their Mission Valley and Sorrento Valley coworking spaces to the public on Friday.
• The Children’s Nature Retreat, a 20-acre animal sanctuary in Alpine with 140-plus domesticated animals,will reopen Saturday for appointment-only visits.
• Campland on the Bay will open watersports rentals for the summer beginning Friday, in time for the Memorial Day weekend.
• Columnist Molly Bowman-Styles writes that voters should remember the local politicians who piled on when the national lockdown protests began.
• Two educators write in an op-ed that instead of focusing on measurements such as test scores and salaries, business schools should be measuring and emphasizing the impact their graduates can have on society as a whole.
If your organization has relevant news to add to this daily list, please send to news@timesofsandiego.com.