San Diego County's stay at home and other public health orders are being extended indefinitely as least until the statewide orders remain in place.
Public Health Director Dr. Wilma Wooten said Wednesday the County cannot ease the local order until the Governor eases the state order. But Dr. Wooten said the county has met four of the five federal criteria – symptoms, cases and hospitals –to determine when and how to ease public health orders..
Four Criteria Met
- The County has experienced a 14-day downward trajectory in the number of people with influenza-like illness (ILI) at local emergency departments. From March 16 to April 15, the percent of emergency department visits for ILI dropped from 10% to 3%.
- The County must register a downward trajectory of COVID-like syndromic cases reported within a 14-day period. This trend has varied but has been declining in recent days.
- The number of positive cases of COVID-19 in comparison to the number of tests administered over a 14-day period is in a downward trajectory. Since April 6, the County has experienced a decreasing percentage in positive COVID-19 tests among San Diegans.
- The local health care system has been able to handle the number of patients needing hospitalization for COVID-19 and other illnesses and diseases. Currently, hospital capacity remains stable.
“We have met four of the federal criteria and will continue monitoring to make sure the trends continue,” Wooten said.
The County on Wednesday reported two additional deaths from the COVID-19 virus, bringing the total to 120 since the pandemic began. The total number of positive cases is at 3,432.