SAN DIEGO — As states like Texas, Alabama and now our neighbors to the east in Arizona, lift all coronavirus restrictions, California is reopening at a much slower pace, San Diego, especially as the county remains in the most restrictive purple tier. And though we’ve made progress with our numbers, public officials are worried that residents from other states with higher case rates might be traveling to southern California.
“If you’re going to come to California, you need to follow the rules that are in place,” explains Nathan Fletcher, the Chair for the San Diego County Board of Supervisors. “The last thing we want is a lot of folks coming in from places with different strains or higher case counts and really impeding the progress that we’re making here.”
The numbers have indeed been improving as vaccines are being distributed at a much high rate, but officials warn that we’re not out of the woods yet. It’s because of this that Supervisor Fletcher is encouraging people to stay the course and to not act like they’re in a state that has lifted their restrictions.
“I have a lot of people telling me, well Texas opened up everything we should do what they did,” says Fletcher “Texas also has a death rate, almost twice that per person of San Diego.”
On Friday, California public health officials announced that outdoor theme parks and stadiums can be open at a limited capacity starting on April 1st. In addition to this, you must be a California resident to attend a ballgame or go to Disneyland - this in an attempt to curb the amount of people travelling from out of state. But there are no rules for people travelling across state lines to visit San Diego’s beaches, boardwalks, or restaurants. Supervisor Fletcher just hopes that tourists coming to visit California, follow the rules for the state they’re visiting.
“I really think the important message is we just need people to continue to be safe,” notes Fletcher “We’re on the right path and we want to continue our progress. I think caution would be the word of advice I’d give.”