SAN DIEGO–In an effort to protect the health and safety of the public while continuing to provide essential services, the City of San Diego is instituting a number of measures to limit further spread of the novel coronavirus known as COVID-19, and ease potential economic hardship for those affected by the disease.
“Consistent with the guidance from public health officials we are taking this additional step to help stop the spread of COVID-19,” Mayor Faulconer said. “We are also announcing that the City is providing relief for San Diegans by waiving interest fees for late water and sewer bill payments during this time of uncertainty.”
The city has taken the following protective measures and will take additional measures if necessary, as following guidance by the County of San Diego.
Libraries – Consistent with the previous announcement by San Diego Unified School District, all 36 City libraries will close to the public beginning Monday, March 16 until Monday, April 6 unless an extension is warranted. All programming and events have been postponed or canceled during this time. Online library services remain available to the public.
Parks and Recreation – The City will be closing all recreation centers and pools beginning Monday, March 16, and all programming has been canceled. Recreation centers will reopen Monday, April 6 unless an extension is warranted. All City parks will remain open to the public and all public restrooms will be open and accessible during operating hours. Additional maintenance will be conducted to ensure park restroom facilities are clean and fully stocked.
Homeless Services – The city is working with the County of San Diego and the San Diego Regional Task Force on the Homeless to help prevent the spread COVID-19 in the homeless community by including installing 66 additional handwashing stations, deploying public health nurses to bridge shelters and instructing all providers to increase cleaning at local shelters.
Public Utilities – The city suspended all water shutoffs as a result of nonpayment and utility bills will not be charged interest fees for late or nonpayment. Customers are encouraged to pay utility bills to the extent possible based on individual circumstances.
Additional measures – All board and commission meetings, including the Planning Commission and the Historical Resources Board, have been canceled through March 31. The customer service center will continue to operate during normal business hours.
The city will continue to monitor the situation and update the public regularly. For the latest information about the COVID-19 virus, updates on City services and steps the public can take to help reduce the spread of the disease, please visit sandiego.gov/coronavirus.
The city continues to work closely with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the California Department of Public Health and San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency to educate the public and limit contact and exposure to the disease.
