Restaurants, Theaters, Workplaces Forced to Close
Following the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) and ReDS Relief that gatherings of more than 12 persons be avoided, the San Diego city council -- meeting in virtual reality for the first time since the earthquake of 2014 -- announced that it would go a step further. As of midnight tonight, all restaurants, theaters, and other social gathering places must be closed or face serious punishment. In addition, workplaces not on a list of "fundamental public services" must restrict in-person attendance to no more than eight people, a third fewer than recommended by WHO.
"San Diego is in the ReDS zone, and we have to be even more aware of the risks than most of the rest of the country," city council spokesperson Michael Gonzales argued. A spokesperson for the business community disagreed. "We understand the risks, and have taken precautions. We don't believe that the city has the right to do this."
Of the over two million residents of the San Diego metropolitan area, some 150,000 have been diagnosed with ReDS or live in a family with a ReDS-infected person.