CoViD-19: California Dials Back Openings | SD & LA: Schools Not Returning In The Fall | Global Testing Shortage | Navy Ship Fire Continues

Momma & Baby Ring-Tailed Lemurs (Taken 6.28.2020)

What a day of news. There was a lot of it so there's quite a bit of detail after the jump, specifically that indoor activities related to gyms, salons, malls, personal care, non-essential offices, and worship services have to reclose, SDUSD & LAUSD issued a joint statement that in-person classes will not resume in the fall, and there's a global testing shortage. I'm actually so relieved about schools because it was a decision we didn't want to have to make. It's bad enough that Nova's soccer league is trying to join some statewide petition for guidance on youth sports, a move I can't support. Distance practicing is just fine, thank you very much. I kind of base everything on my parents...if I can't visit and hug my parents, why would I want Nova making contact with some teammate, breathing in their breath, exchanging sweat? If I can't sit inside my parents house for an hour, why would I want Nova in six different classes for an hour everyday or even one or two days a week? I'm reading The Down Days right now (as recommendation by Wired) and it's about a deadly outbreak and it made me realize that not only should we continue to emphasize the deaths by COVID-19, but they should be talking every night about the sickness, how basically your lungs fill with pus that hardens and makes it impossible to breathe while all of your organs shut down. Or that your blood gets choked of oxygen and gets thick and clots and is spiking strokes, even after the patient is considered "recovered". Or read any online support group for COVID-19 patients where they're sharing stories of being sick for months, not weeks. But sure, go to Disneyworld. 

Let's get our shit together. Info after the jump. 

Surge of COVID-19 Cases Across U.S. States (Statista)

• California State Media Briefing & Stat Update
• Total cases: 329,162 (+2.6% increase)
• Total deaths: 7,040 (+ 0.3% increase)
• 8,358 New Cases | 8,211 New Case 7-Day Average
• 14-day Positivity Rate 7.4% (Up from 6.7% last week)
• Due to skyrocketing cases, ALL COUNTIES (not just counties on "watchlist") in California must close indoor activities related to:
• Restaurants
• Wineries and Tasting Rooms
• Movie Theaters
• Family Entertainment Centers
• Zoos and Museums
• Cardrooms
• All BARS must close ALL operations
• All Counties on monitoring list should close additional indoor sectors (now 30 counties):
• Fitness Centers
• Worship Services
• Offices for Non-Critical Sectors
• Personal Care Services
• Hair Salons & Barbershops
• Malls
• Individual county opening variances/attestations are now prohibited statewide
• State School Guidelines 
• County of San Diego
• Testing
• Need to do more testing
• Global/National/Local Testing Shortage
• Tests and appointments will be prioritized:
• Symptomatic people 
• Healthcare Workers/Frontline Workers/First Responders
• People in essential job
• Older Adults
• High Risk people who've been exposed to someone with a positive test
• People living in congregate care or group home settings
• 8k Tests/Day Average
• Case count:
• Only labarotory confirmed diagnostic tests count
• Does not inclulde suspect or probable cases
• Does include people in quarantine unless they've been tested positive
• "Exposed" are not included in counts
• Appointments and Test Results Are Backed Up
• Helix will be providing 2k additional tests with 24-hour turnaround
• County is currently hitting 3 triggers: 
• Case rate 137 cases/100k of population (should be under 100)
• Community Outbreaks: 17 in past 7 days (should be under 7)
• Restaurant/Bars - 5
• Healthcare Setting - 4
• Restaurant - 2
• Gym - 1
• Daycare -1 
• Grocery - 1
• Business - 2 
• Resort Spa - 1
• Case Investigation 60% (should be over 70%)
• San Diego will comply with State recommendation to cease indoor operations effective Tuesday night at Midnight:
• Fitness Centers
• Worship Services
• Offices for Non-Critical Sectors
• Personal Care Services/Nail Salons/Massage/Tattoos
• Hair Salons & Barbershops
• Malls
• County to Close Indoor Operations at Gyms, Nail Salons and Other Sectors - County News Center (7.13.2020)
• Fire on NAVY ship is still burning: 
• Remain indoors with doors and windows closed
• Smoke from Ship Fire Could Be Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups - County News Center
• COVID-19:
• Amnesty International notes that at least 3,000 health workers in 79 countries have died from COVID-19
  Global: Health workers silenced, exposed and attacked - Amnesty International (7.13.2020)
• Florida Smashes U.S. State Record Of Daily New Cases: More Than 15,200 (out of 140k tests) - NPR (7.12.2020)
• San Diego Unified announced today it would start online-only this fall. -NBC (7.13.2020)
• One fact is clear: those countries that have managed to safely reopen schools have done so with declining infection rates and on-demand testing available. California has neither. The skyrocketing infection rates of the past few weeks make it clear the pandemic is not under control.
  Therefore, we are announcing that the new school year will start online only. Instruction will resume on Aug.18 in Los Angeles Unified and Aug. 31 in San Diego Unified, as previously scheduled. Both districts will continue planning for a return to in-person learning during the 2020-21 academic year, as soon as public health conditions allow.
NEWS RELEASE: Joint Statement from San Diego Unified, Los Angeles Unified School Districts Regarding Online Start to School Year - SDUSD Newscenter (7.13.2020)