SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — Mayor Kevin L. Faulconer on Thursday was joined Thursday by City of San Diego public safety officials to provide critical updates on public access to beaches and provide an update to the mandates issued in the March 16 Executive Order.
Beginning May 1, all San Diego County residents will be required to wear cloth face coverings in public when within 6 feet of another person who is not a household contact.
“When you wear a face covering, you protect those around you,” said Wilma Wooten, M.D., M.P.H., County public health officer, “When others use a face covering, they protect you.”
The County also revised its Health Officer Order to relax restrictions on parks, golf courses and recreational boating, effective May 1. Cities may have their own parks restrictions, and anyone should check the rules for the specific park before visiting.
Among the revisions:
- Parks and their parking lots can reopen with 50% parking capacity.
- Members of the same household can sit, picnic, or participate in sports and other activities at parks. Group activities and gatherings are not allowed.
- Golf courses can open but must have a physical distancing and safety plan in place and conduct temperature screenings for employees and golfers. Golf carts are not allowed. Anyone with a 100-degree temperature or higher must not be allowed on the premises.
The County is also allowing recreational boating in local lakes, bays and the ocean. If more than one person is in the boat, they need to be members of the same household.
San Diego County health officials reported 132 new positive cases of COVID-19 and four additional deaths this afternoon, raising the totals to 3,564 cases and 124 deaths.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has ordered beaches in Orange County to close until further notice. Newsom made the announcement Thursday, days after tens of thousands of people in Orange County packed beaches during a sunny weekend. Newsom said he hopes the order won't last very long.
But he said he felt he had to do it to protect public health. A memo to the state's police chiefs on Wednesday indicated Newsom planned to close all beaches in the state. But Thursday, Newsom said the order only applied to beaches in Orange County.
Several California coastal communities have allowed beaches to be open with some restrictions.