San Diego News Fix

The San Diego Convention Center officially became the city’s newest emergency shelter on Wednesday, a move that aims to slow the spread of COVID-19 among homeless San Diegans.The doors opened a day after county officials announced that three sheltered individuals had tested positive for COVID-19, the first known cases to involve homeless San Diegans.People currently living in two of the city’s bridge shelters will be the first to move in.“I’m glad that we can use this community asset to serve our neighbors in need,” said Rip Rippetoe, president of the San Diego Convention Center.The decision to re-purpose the convention center — dubbed “Operation Shelter to Home” — was announced last week.With the extra space the center will provide, city officials and shelter workers will be able to better space homeless individuals, ensuring social-distancing guidelines are adhered to. It will also allow the city to convert its existing bridge shelters into locations that provide health screenings and other services to peop

The captain of the San Diego-based aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, in port in Guam fighting a coronavirus outbreak among its crew, says that unless the Navy takes immediate action to isolate the crew off the ship, COVID-19 will continue to spread and “there will be losses,” he wrote in a letter sent Sunday to Pacific Fleet commanders.Read the story here. Original story from the San Francisco Chronicle.

If there’s a light at the end of the coronavirus tunnel, it’s faint. Most of our eyes are still adjusting to the darkness.No one knows how long this will last, or what the final toll will be — in lives, in economic turmoil, in changes to the world as we knew it.Story: https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/health/story/2020-03-29/end-of-coronavirus-pandemic-what-will-new-normal-look-like

San Diego shoppers are noticing curious new fixtures in grocery stores this week: thick sheets of Plexiglas separating clerks from customers. These physical shields are called "sneeze guards," and they appear to be the new normal in supermarkets everywhere. As of Friday, sneeze guards are installed at Walmart, Albertson's, Von's, the Baron's Market in North Park, and 7-Eleven stores, among many others.

The crew of the San Diego-based amphibious transport dock Somerset have been ordered to remain on board the ship as the Navy announced Wednesday that six more San Diego-based sailors have tested positive for COVID-19.The order to remain on board coincides with comments made Tuesday by Adm. Mike Gilday, the chief of naval operations, who said such orders are already being implemented on submarines 14 days out from getting underway.Navy officials from the Somerset, Naval Surfaces Forces Pacific, 3rd Fleet and the Pacific Fleet would not confirm the order late Wednesday; however, a post on the ship’s Facebook page made note of the latest “schedule change.”

San Diego Unified will officially start conducting school online beginning on April 27.It is one of the first large area districts to announce a plan to return to grading and formal instruction.“San Diego Unified will return to instruction next month to guarantee students an opportunity to successfully complete the current academic year, even as physical school facilities will remain closed until public health officials determine it is safe for students to return to classrooms,” the district said in a statement Tuesday.The district’s plan is meant to answer the concerns of many students about whether they’ll be able to finish the school year or complete course credits to move on to the next grade or graduate.“The schedule outlined today by the district will give members of the Class of 2020 the assurance they need that they will graduate, whether or not public health officials approve a return to in-classroom instruction,” the district of 103,000 students said in the statement.The timeline means most students

San Diego closed public spaces as a means to push for more social distancing amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

Many San Diego County residents failed to social distance this weekend, causing governments to begin to close public spaces. Meanwhile, COVID-19 cases swell to 230, with one death in the county so far.

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s mandate is clear, but only for about a dozen or so different industries. Grocery stores, gas stations, banks, laundromats and pharmacies are essential and can remain open. Alternatively, others — dine-in restaurants, bars and clubs, entertainment venues, gyms, public events, and conventions centers — must close immediately.But what about the hundreds or thousands of businesses that fall into the massive gray area not identified in the order? And what exactly is “essential” in today’s totally unrecognizable brick-and-mortar world? As it stands, lattes are still being served through Starbucks drive-throughs, craft beers are available for pickup at local breweries, and cable TV and Internet sales staff are still reporting to Spectrum stores.Basically, businesses appear to be making the call on their own, with some leaning on the guidance provided to individual municipalities earlier in the week.When seven counties in the San Francisco Bay Area instituted their shelter-in-place mandate, offici

Throughout San Diego County, where on an average day about 60 people die from various causes, mortuaries are also making adjustments. They’re shortening or eliminating visitations, live-streaming services so people can watch from home, and asking those at funerals not to hug or kiss.

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the economy, forcing temporary closures of businesses large and small and cancellations of major events and conventions, hospitality workers are struggling to cope with being suddenly jobless or having their work hours drastically reduced.

A judge sentenced former Rep. Duncan Hunter to 11 months in federal prison Tuesday, closing a case that began nearly four years ago with questions about stolen campaign funds which ended the once-promising career of the scion of an East County political family.U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Whelan gave Hunter until May 29 to report to a federal prison. The judge left open the possibility that date could change in light of evolving circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.The 11-month sentence is in the middle of the 8-to-14-month range called for by federal sentencing rules under terms of the plea bargain struck by Hunter and the U.S. Department of Justice.

It’s a complicated time to be a journalist.It’s a complicated time to be anyone.With strong social-distancing orders in place at all levels of government, we wanted to find a way to check the pulse of the region that wouldn’t contribute in any way to the spread of the coronavirus.We turned to video chats -- a medium that so many of us are using more often this past week, whether we’re taking business meetings while working from home or doing “social-distancing happy hours” with friends across the county or the country.“COVID-Diaries” introduce you to people across the region who are navigating this thorny new world under unique circumstances.Episode 1 will introduce you to Thomas Shaw, who is concerned about the implications of the virus’ spread on his relationship with his wife, who has early-onset Alzheimer’s and lives in a memory care facility. Episode 2 features Daisy Scott, who is trying to run a student newspaper while reckoning with the fact that her final quarter of college has been upended.If you’d l

In preparation for a potential boom in coronavirus infections, much of San Diego slowed down to a snail’s pace. Thousands of workers telecommuted, and plans for how to mitigate the damage were revealed in Washington. With the announcement that San Diego Unified -- and most San Diego schools -- would send students home -- the real social and economic impacts of this massive social change remain unknown.

Over a period of 24 hours, many cornerstones of American life came to a halt. March Madness, Broadway, and even campaigning for the Democratic nomination -- were either cancelled or moved online -- all part of the nationwide effort to stop the spread of COVID-19. In San Diego, the county announced 5 more cases of the virus, and has banned gatherings of more than 250 people. For ongoing coverage, check out our live blog: https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/business/liveblog/coronavirus-live-san-diego-business-updates-sycuan-casino-implements-hourly-disinfection-policy

In an unprecedented move, UC San Diego Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla announced Monday night that he will shift all of the school’s courses online and largely close the campus to the public to fight the coronavirus.There also is a possibility that fans will not be permitted to attend a Division II basketball tournament that is scheduled to be held on campus late this week.

Michael McConnell, who led the only campaign against Measure C, isn’t gloating over the election results that as of Sunday showed the initiative failing to reach its required two-thirds threshold as outstanding ballots were being counted.“If it fails, it’s not a victory for me,” said McConnell, one of the city’s most vocal and visible homeless advocates."I’ve moved on.”

Science reporter Gary Robbins discusses how San Diego is responding to the coronavirus outbreak.

San Diego police on Wednesday released body-worn camera video of an officer fatally shooting a man after he’d reportedly grabbed the gun of another officer during a struggle in Oak Park earlier this year.The graphic footage shows the Jan. 24 afternoon encounter that left 31-year-old Toby Diller dead after two officers tried to stop him while he walked around on the corner of 54th Street and College Grove Drive with an open container of beer.After a struggle, according to police, Diller pulled at one officer’s still-holstered gun. The holster broke from the officer’s belt.During the video, one officer yells “He’s got my gun! Shoot him!” Frames later, a gun — presumably held by the other officer — enters the screen near Diller’s head.