Borrego Sun - Since 1949

It has been a whirlwind of emotions for many, as the coronavirus pandemic continues to loom over the country.

Most of California is still in the purple tier, which has the most restrictions, as many are slowly trying to move forward. Businesses are trying their best to make up for the lost income, and many are trying to find jobs during this unprecedented time.

The number of cases in California continue to rise with over 813,000 and the death toll at 15,615.

On Sept. 22, it was announced that San Diego County managed to avoid falling back into the purple tier, and were just under 0.1% of the state’s adjusted calculated case rate of 7.

If the county fell back, businesses that reopened indoors would have to once again close, and only offer outdoor dining or takeout/delivery.

The state asses metrics and numbers every Tuesday. The next assessment was Sept. 29, which took place after print.

The United States has over 7.16 million cases and the death toll has risen to over 205,000, as of Sept. 28, 4 p.m.

September 27:

- Confirmed County COVID-19 numbers: 46,610. Deaths: 776.

September 26:

- Confirmed County COVID-19 numbers: 46,331. Deaths: 775.

September 25:

- Confirmed County COVID-19 numbers: 46,001. Deaths: 775.

September 24:

- Confirmed County COVID-19 numbers: 45,596. Deaths: 773.

September 23:

- Confirmed County COVID-19 numbers: 45,425. Deaths: 767.

- San Diego County has tested over 1,000,000 tests

- Hospitalizations lowest since April

- County Dr. Eric McDonald said COVID-19 is the sixth leading cause of death in the region so far this year, and noted that it “would not be surprised if it comes into the top 4 by the end of the year.”

September 22:

- Confirmed County COVID-19 numbers: 45,147. Deaths: 765.

- San Diego County avoids dropping into the purple tier, with an adjusted case rate of 6.9. If the number was above 7.0, that would have shifted the county back to the more-restrictive tier.

September 21:

- Confirmed County COVID-19 numbers: 44,925. Deaths: 760.

- San Diego County will not be suing the state. District 1 Supervisor Greg Cox said no legal action RE reopening guidelines was taken. If the county does go back to the purple tier, restrictions would start Sept. 25.

September 20:

- Confirmed County COVID-19 numbers: 44,577. Deaths: 760.

September 19:

- Confirmed County COVID-19 numbers: 44,293. Deaths: 760.

September 18:

- Confirmed County COVID-19 numbers: 44,007. Deaths: 757.

- San Diego County Board of Supervisors held emergency meeting to discuss possible legal action against Governor Newsom. No decision was made.

- If San Diego County drops to the purple tier when re-assessed on Sept. 22 by the state, schools who have not yet reopened will not be able to until the county is back in the red tier. For schools who are open, they must go back to distance learning.

September 17:

- Confirmed County COVID-19 numbers: 43,619. Deaths: 754.

- Borrego Springs will continue with Halloween festivities at this time. Trunk-or-Treat will be held at The Mall gravel extension out toward Jilberto’s.

- Governor Newsom signs two bills to protect essential workers. SB 1159 will make it easier for essential workers who test positive to have access to medical care and wage replacement benefits. AB 685 forces employers to be more transparent when someone tests positive for COVID-19 in the workplace, requiring them to report potentially exposed employees within one business day.

September 16:

- Confirmed County COVID-19 numbers: 43,445. Deaths: 748.

- San Diego County closing in on one million reported tests, according to County District 4 Supervisor Nathan Fletcher.

- County officials said they would petition the state to exclude SDSU’s case load when determining the case rate in an effort to keep it under seven, hoping consideration of the situation. However, Governor Gavin Newsom said, “You can’t isolate as if it’s on an island, a campus community that is part of a larger community, so the answer is ‘No,’” and will not approve the request.

- Board of Supervisors District 1 Greg Cox said he was preparing to double down on the request via a letter to the governor, and District 3 Supervisor Kristin Gaspar said the board would keep pushing for the exemption until next Tuesday, Sept. 22, when the state will assess the county’s updated case metrics and assign the county to the appropriate tier.

September 15:

- Confirmed County COVID-19 numbers: 43,181. Deaths: 742.

- Kesling’s Kitchen announces pop-up event.

- Due to San Diego County’s case rate of 7.9, it will push the county into the state’s most restrictive tier, Tier 1 (Purple/Widespread) if it holds up for another week.

- Dr. Wilma Wooten, County Public Health Officer said the case rate would fall safely into Tier 2 if SDSU’s cluster were excluded from the rest of the county’s data.

- If demoted, all indoor operations must stop, with the exception of barbershops and hair salons. Indoor retail and shopping centers capacity would be limited to 25%, with food courts closing down again.

- District 5 Supervisor Jim Desmond will push to reopen more businesses despite the state’s rules. He said, “the state put us in a box” in terms of criteria to reopen. However, District 4 Supervisor Nathan Fletcher said that this was “reckless and irresponsible” and hopes his “colleagues will join me in rejecting this nonsense.”

- California is one of the six states removed from the New York tri-state area’s coronavirus quarantine list.

* Number of COVID-19 Cases in San Diego County, sandiegocounty.gov.

* Please note: Information/statistics stated in this article are as of print time, Sept. 28 4 p.m.