County of San Diego public health officials said Wednesday that local daycare and childcare facilities would need to follow strict guidelines in order to operate in times of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Wilma Wooten, M.D., M.P.H., county public health officer with San Diego County, said childcare at these types of facilities across San Diego would need to be carried out in what she called “stable groups of 10 or fewer.”
“Stable means that the same 10 or fewer children are in the same group each day,” Wooten explained at a news briefing Wednesday afternoon. “Children shall not change from one group to another; and if more than one group of children is cared for at one facility, each group shall be in a separate room. Groups shall not mix with each other.”
Wooten said childcare providers must also remain solely with one group of children.
The local guidelines come just three days into countywide school closures. Every school district has canceled classes and, with many parents forced to work from home, childcare is top of mind.
Governor Gavin Newsom said Tuesday that it is unlikely that “few, if any” schools in California will reopen before summer, meaning kids may not go back to school until fall.
As of Tuesday at 5 p.m., there are 60 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in San Diego County; public health officials plan to update that number by the end of the day. You can get updates on the latest local figures here.
