OB Rag

From LA Times:

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday significantly ramped up California’s response to the coronavirus, calling for the closure of all bars, nightclubs, wineries and brewpubs, and urging people 65 and older and those with chronic health conditions to stay indoors in an effort to slow the virus’ spread.

The governor also called on much greater social distancing measures for restaurants. They will be directed to reduce their occupancy by roughly half and ensure that tables are at least six feet apart, he said.

“We recognize that social isolation for millions of Californians is anxiety inducing but we recognize what all the science bears out and .. we need to meet this moment head-on and lean in,” Newsom said.

The governor said the request of older Californians was made in hopes of limiting their exposure to the virus, given that health officials have pointed out higher dangers for those who are older. “We are prioritizing their safety,” he said.

As everything closes down during this coronavirus era – from the OB and other farmers markets, to concerts, mass meetings, schools, religious centers, to the County’s prohibition of large gatherings – it’s time to ask the question: should people still go out to bars and restaurants? Especially in Ocean Beach – where they are very popular.

Some restaurant groups here in San Diego have already temporarily shuttered their kitchens and doors. And some law makers are asking folks – especially those 40 or under – to stop going out to these places right now. For instance, U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is asking people to stop in light of the COVID-19 outbreak in New York, adding that anything closer than six feet to another human is “too close.”

Many farmers markets are being canceled through the end of March over concerns of community spread of COVID-19. The closures are part of the county’s decision to follow the state’s lead, banning all events of 250 people or more.

A San Diego Police Department email sent to farmers market organizers in the city stated:

With the County of San Diego Health and Human Services’ declaration today, large gatherings of 250 people or more are banned from taking place. This ban will take effect at midnight, March 12, and will be in place through the end of March. Accordingly, Special Event Permits for all Farmers Markets through the end of March will be canceled. We will provide updates as we receive them from the County.

Market closures include ones in City Heights, North Park, Hillcrest, Little Italy, Leucadia, Poway, Solana Beach, Carlsbad Village, Ocean Beach and Pacific Beach. …

In other parts of the county, there are still some markets that will remain open.

It has taken a good deal longer than it should have, but Americans have now seen the con man behind the curtain.

Peter Wehner at The Atlantic has made this declaration and he’s a Republican. Here’s his conclusion:

Taken together, this is a massive failure in leadership that stems from a massive defect in character. Trump is such a habitual liar that he is incapable of being honest, even when being honest would serve his interests. He is so impulsive, shortsighted, and undisciplined that he is unable to plan or even think beyond the moment.

He is such a divisive and polarizing figure that he long ago lost the ability to unite the nation under any circumstances and for any cause. And he is so narcissistic and unreflective that he is completely incapable of learning from his mistakes. The president’s disordered personality makes him as ill-equipped to deal with a crisis as any president has ever been. With few exceptions, what Trump has said is not just useless; it is downright injurious.

There Is No Known Infection Among San Diego’s Homeless Community

Here Is An Update from Father Joe’s Villages on Current Efforts Around Coronavirus

Father Joe’s Villages is monitoring the status of COVID-19, the disease caused by a novel coronavirus, in San Diego. While there is no known infection among the homeless community in San Diego, Father Joe’s Villages is prepared to respond to the complex health needs of people on the streets.

The homeless service provider is currently devoting its resources to collaborating with partners at the City and County of San Diego and will remain up-to-date on ongoing news related to the spread.

From The Washington Post

President Trump plans to declare a national emergency Friday, as public life in America continues to grind to a halt. Concerns about the coronavirus pandemic rippled across the globe, as more events were canceled and more landmarks were shuttered; U.S. schools closed to millions of students; Louisiana delayed its presidential primary until summer; and the Group of Seven leaders planned a virtual crisis conference.

Here are some other significant developments:

Teachers’ Union Had Called for Closures

San Diego Unified School District is closing to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.

The school district made a joint announcement Friday morning with the Los Angeles Unified School District. Both school districts will shut down Monday, March 16.

The two largest school districts in California serve more than 750,000 students combined.

Superintendent Cindy Marten of San Diego and Superintendent Austin Beutner of Los Angeles issued the following joint statement:

Councilwoman Barbara Bry has done some serious hedge trimming to Councilman Scott Sherman’s lead in San Diego’s Primary mayoral race for the second top position.

As of Wednesday, Sherman only had 758 more votes than Bry. On election night, he had a lead of more than 3,000. Over the last 24 hours, as the Registrar of Voters continues to count provisional ballots, Bry gained 100 from Tuesday’s results.

There is a projected 77,000 provisional ballots still to be counted.

By Evelyn Duffy / Mustang News / March 10, 2020

Four members of the Cal Poly engineering department recently partnered with AmpSurf and Quality Life Plus in creating a project to provide people with disabilities a way to get from the beach to the ocean.

The four team members Arthur Zaayer, Marius Jatulis, Jose Covarrubias, and Griffin O’Malley have been working on this project since September 2019. The overall impact, the community and the hands-on work are what drew these students to this project.

“I’ve been surfing for awhile, so having something I’m passionate about and sharing that with people and then creating a device for them to better enjoy that activity more is so cool to me,” Jatulis said.

The product itself is a rolling sled with large air tires in the back, and smaller, denser wheels in the front.

Nuclear Shutdown News March 2020

By Michael Steinberg / Black Rain Press

Nuclear Shutdown News chronicles the decline and fall of the nuclear power industry in the US and beyond, and highlights the efforts of those working to create a nuclear free world.

As San Onofre nuke demolition begins Watchdogs assert it could cause a nuclear catastrophe.

On February 6, Coastal News, from Solana Beach in San Diego County, reported, “Public Watchdog, a nonprofit (San Diego-based) advocacy group filed a petition with the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission” to put the kibosh on that action.

Coastal News continued “The advocacy group claims that if the facility if flooded with rain or ocean water, the proposed method of disposing of nuclear waste could lead to an explosion of a radioactive steam geyser.”

Editordude: A good friend of the Widder Curry who lives in Italy wrote her to share what was really going on. We are not certain when it was written, so the dates mentioned are hazy.

To Judi Curry

I am writing to you from Bergamo, Italy, at the heart of the coronavirus crisis.

The news media in the US has not captured the severity of what is happening here. I am writing this post because each of you, today, not the government, not the school district, not the mayor, each individual citizen has the chance, today to take actions that will deter the Italian situation from becoming your own country’s reality.

The only way to stop this virus is to limit contagion. And the only way to limit contagion is for millions of people to change their behavior today. If you are in Europe or the US you are weeks away from where we are today in Italy.