Shutdowns are unwarranted

Unfortunately for many businesses in San Diego County, the end is near. With the Governor’s announcement that gyms, personal care services, hair salons, barbershops and malls must cease indoor operations, this could be the final straw.

The Governor compared his latest announcement to turning down a dimmer switch, but unfortunately, he’s turning off the lights for many small businesses in San Diego County.

The latest shutdowns are entirely unwarranted. Our hospital numbers are not going up. Our testing is focused on the most vulnerable and those with symptoms, which is why you see an increase; 85% of those who test positive for COVID-19 don’t show any symptoms. For those who do have symptoms, the majority are mild and they are able to recover quickly.

Since the beginning of this virus, the goal was to not overburden our hospital capacity. In San Diego County, our hospital capacity has remained steady, around 65%. We currently have 1225 hospital beds reserved solely for COVID-19 patients and have never had more than 50% of them full, even while taking patients from Imperial Valley and Mexico.

We have achieved our goal. We’ve protected the most vulnerable, protected our hospital capacity and yet we are once again being punished. Unfortunately, we are being led by fear, rather than facts and data.

This shotgun approach by the Governor with no verified facts continues to hurt the workers of California. We currently have a 15% unemployment rate that will continue to rise as more businesses are forced to close down.

There haven’t been any outbreaks at malls, nail salons or barbershops, yet once again, they are forced to shut down. This is a knee-jerk overreaction by our Governor, and I will continue to advocate for safely reopening our businesses.