I’m proud to have represented South County as your County Supervisor for the last 25 years. In that time, our region has grown and prospered despite weathering hard times, from wildfires and flooding to economic upheaval and sewage spills.
But in my time, nothing has caused as much personal pain and economic damage as the COVID-19 crisis that continues to harm our region.
As the Chairman of the County Board of Supervisors, I have been leading the regional response to this crisis and have seen up close and firsthand the heroic efforts of our first responders, emergency personnel and health care workers.
We as a region should be proud of their work, but also of the significant contributions of our non-profit agencies, our businesses and ordinary citizens who have stepped up to provide supplies or simply lift the community’s spirit.
I’ve lived my entire life in Chula Vista and raised my family in this community. So, it pains me to see in particular that Chula Vista and South County have suffered so many positive cases of the virus.
We don’t fully understand yet why there have been so many cases in South County. We do know a very small percentage is from people traveling across one of the busiest land border crossings in the world. We know that South County is densely populated and is home to a lot of essential workers who travel to work and return to their homes at the end of the day. Chula Vista is also the second largest city in the region, so the number of cases reflects its population.
The cities of Chula Vista and National City have taken steps to slow the spread of the virus by mandating facial coverings in public and I applaud them for that. In fact, the County will be implementing mandatory facial coverings in public starting May 1.
But it’s important to remember that this virus does not respect international borders, city lines or area zip codes. So, where a person gets infected may be different from where they live and from where they eventually get hospitalized.
That’s why our public health orders don’t specify that only people in a particular city must maintain space or wash their hands or cover their face. Everyone needs to do that. We all have to be in this fight.
We have, however, taken specific steps to address the situation in Chula Vista and the rest of South County.
For example, we have asked federal authorities, including the White House, to do more to screen travelers from Mexico.
This week, we opened permanent testing sites in the region, including one in Chula Vista. Testing is by appointment only and for people who meet the criteria for testing and have been referred there by their medical providers or by the County. It’s part of our effort to make testing as widely available as capacity and supplies will allow.
In addition, we are planning to offer mobile testing in different areas of the region where we know there is a need for more testing.
We have made great progress in fighting this virus and we hope in the months to come to return to some sense of normalcy. Much of that depends on you, the public, staying at home, practicing social distancing and wearing facial coverings.
We know this crisis has not been easy but there are various resources available to residents, families and businesses. Please visit the County’s Coronavirus website, coronavirus-sd.com, which offers numerous resources and updated information on the crisis.
That site is also located on my web site at GregCox.com.
As this crisis continues, please be assured that our County is working closely with cities and jurisdictions in the region to fight this crisis and help people affected by it. Together, we will walk the path to recovery.
Cox represents District 1 which includes Chula Vista Bonita and National City.
