We’re Headed in the Right Direction:
Let’s Not Go Backwards this Holiday Weekend
San Bernardino County has made great strides in improving our COVID-19 numbers since the Memorial Day-Fourth of July-related spikes, and we are trending closer and closer to meeting the State’s metrics for moving into the next tier, which would allow us to reopen schools, restaurants, gyms, nail salons, and places of worship for limited indoor operations.
The unanimous message from our health officials is let’s not blow it this Labor Day weekend. The need to avoid congregating with those outside one’s immediate household is particularly urgent during this holiday weekend.
“We get it: people will want to get together with friends and others to enjoy this Labor Day weekend,” said County Public Health Director Corwin Porter. “But the data are clear. These gatherings are the primary culprit in spreading the disease in San Bernardino County.”
The County is urging all residents to remember the big picture and consider those at risk for serious illness. Remember that almost 750 County residents have already died from this disease. The more cautious and responsible we all are, the fewer people will suffer — and the more quickly we can reopen churches, schools, restaurants, bars, and other businesses.
 2020 Presidential General Election Notice of Proposed Polling Places 10-day Public Comment Period Goes Through Sept. 11
As a result of the current public health emergency, the State of California enacted a series of executive orders and bills aimed to ensure the 2020 Presidential General Election is accessible, secure and safe for voters and election workers alike.
While the majority of voters will be using a vote-by-mail option, the San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters has worked to secure County-wide polling places for this election. Due to COVID-19, many of the polling places used in past elections are not available to the Registrar of Voters for this election. To address the loss of about half of the facilities, polling places used in this election will be open for four days – Saturday, October 31 through Tuesday, November 3.
Prior to finalizing polling place assignments for the 2020 Presidential General Election, the Registrar of Voters has prepared a Proposed List of Polling Places and a map of these locations. The public may review:
Written public comments will be accepted for 10 days, through 5 p.m. on September 11, 2020, by email at Communications@rov.sbcounty.gov, by fax at (909) 387-2022, and by mail or in-person at 777 E. Rialto Avenue, San Bernardino, CA 92415.
The Registrar of Voters will consider all written public comments received by 5 p.m. on September 11, 2020, and adjust the polling places to the extent deemed appropriate before finalizing the polling place assignments. For more information, visit https://www.sbcountyelections.com/Elections/2020/1103/PublicReview.aspx
 County EEE Program Continues to Assist Local Businesses
The County’s Education, Engagement & Enforcement (EEE) program continues to be met with favorable responses from business owners pleased to see the cooperation and support. Health inspectors from Environmental Health Services have already visited 1,800 businesses that are considered “high risk” for the spread of the coronavirus, such as restaurants, gyms and those offering personal services. Their job is to ensure businesses are complying with state and County health orders and guidelines, while providing advice and resources to help them meet those guidelines.
To help businesses better understand the program and process, the County has produced a comprehensive public service video explaining the program.
Typically, the inspector’s first step is to determine if the business is displaying a “COVID Compliant” placard, which denotes its membership in the County’s COVID-Compliant Business Partnership program. Over 4,000 businesses are participating in the program, and the placard itself reassures patrons that the establishment is taking steps to protect their health. A recent expansion of the COVID-Compliant program now provides an additional $1,200 (up from the initial $2,500) to businesses forced to restructure operations such as moving to outdoor service.
The inspector then provides the business owner or manager a Readiness Survey, which can be used as a checklist to ensure the facility is meeting the criteria for protecting employee and customer health. Specifically, each facility must show that it has the following:
- A written Site Protection Plan outlining various preventive measures and specifying the person responsible for implementation, employee training and communication, compliance, and correcting deficiencies. The Plan must also include a COVID case investigation (tracking) process.
- An Employee Training Plan outlining how the facility intends to train employees on steps to limit spread of the virus. The Training Plan should also discuss how employees can screen themselves for the disease and determine when they should stay home.
- A plan explaining how the facility will implement Control Measures and Screening, along with specifying its disinfection protocols.
- And finally, documentation detailing the steps the facility will take to create and enforce effective Social Distancing
At the conclusion of the visit, the health inspectors provide each facility with a list of resources and government agencies — such as CalOSHA and Alcoholic Beverage Control — that can help them meet the various State requirements.
“Our emphasis is on a collaborative effort to help local businesses thrive by operating safely during these challenging times,” said Board of Supervisors Chairman Curt Hagman. “We’re confident our approach will help us eventually win this battle while returning our business community to strength and prosperity.”
The County has had to send out about 1,680 notices to non-compliant businesses as a result of complaints from the public, but after receiving the notices, most move into compliance. Of this amount, 423 contacts have been made by the County Sheriff to businesses in response to non-compliant businesses, but only one criminal case against a business has been generated, with a second expected this week.
Upcoming Webinars to Address Opportunity Zones and Tourism
San Bernardino County in conjunction with other partners both regionally and throughout the state are pleased to bring business owners and interested residents ongoing webinars on a variety of important topics. We aim to do everything we can to help businesses succeed during this difficult time.
Can Opportunity Zones help us with COVID-19 economic recovery?
The Opportunity Zones tax incentive was part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 and intended to identify an economically-distressed community where new investments, under certain conditions, may be eligible for preferential tax treatment. Opportunity zones are designed to spur economic development by providing tax benefits to investors.
This no-cost webinar will look at opportunity zone projects throughout the Inland Empire and the benefits that the Opportunity Zone tax incentive may provide to combat the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Panelists include: Alex Bhathal, RevOZ Capital; Rachel Reilly, Economic Innovation Group; Eric Yost, U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development; and Moderator Aaron Thomas, Accelerator for America.
Tuesday, September 8, 2020 at 10 a.m.
Register Now: http://bit.ly/IEOZ920
Travel & Tourism Industry webinar
The County in partnership with Visit California is hosting a webinar covering traveler sentiment in the midst of COVID, the need for collaboration and the state of the tourism industry. Visit California is a nonprofit organization that develops and maintains marketing programs – in partnership with the state’s travel industry – that inspire travel to, and within, California.
The webinar features Caroline Beteta, President and CEO of Visit California, who also serves as Director of Tourism at the California Office of Business & Economic Development (Go-Biz). Caroline is the spokesperson for California‘s $144.9 billion travel industry.
September 8, 2020 at 1 p.m.
Register Now: https://bit.ly/2YVpaoI
No cost business webinars hosted by the Workforce Development Board
San Bernardino County’s Workforce Development Board has partnered with regional business experts to provide employers in San Bernardino County access to free and informative business webinars.
Sept 10, 2020 “Creating a Culture of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion”
Sept 17, 2020 “Financial Management During COVID-19 Crisis, Part 1”
To learn more and to register: https://wp.sbcounty.gov/workforce/business-services/workshops/
Latest Stats
48,245 Confirmed Cases (up 0.8% from the previous day)
743 Deaths (up 1.0% from the previous day)
491,880 Tests (up 0.6% from the previous day)
For more statistics from the COVID-19 Surveillance Dashboard, click the desktop or mobile
tab on the County’s sbcovid19.com website.
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