Wednesday - March 17, 2021

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PERMIT NO. 30 JULIAN, CA

ESTABLISHED

An Independent Weekly Newspaper Serving the Backcountry Communities of Julian, Cuyamaca, Santa Ysabel, Shelter Valley, Mt. Laguna, Ranchita, Canebreak, Sunshine Summit, Warner Springs and Wynola.

Julian News

PO Box 639 Julian, CA 92036

1985

Change Service requested

DATED MATERIAL

The Newspaper of Record.

For the Community, by the Community.

Wednesday

(weeks new positives) Julian = 106 (+0) ** Ramona = 2,381 (+17) ** Mt. Laguna = 2 Ranchita = 13 (+0) ** Warner Springs = 54 (+0)** Santa Ysabel = 61 (+0)** Borrego Springs = 126 (+0) ** Descanso = 73 (+0) ** Alpine = 1,057 (+8) ** Poway = 2,232 (+26) Lakeside = 1574 (+17) ** Total Confirmed cases in Unincorporated San Diego County = 36,974 a total rise of 395. The Julian Library will be hosting drivethrough Covid-19 testing (not vaccinations) on the following dates: Tuesday, March 23, 9am-3pm No appointment necessary. If you believe you have symptoms please get tested. Most testing locations do not require an appointment. To find information on a testing location near you or call 2-11 (toll free) or on the web 211sandiego.org.

State Statistics

Statewide COVID-19 Data as of March 14 California has 3,526,335 confirmed cases to date. Numbers may not represent true day-over-day change as reporting of test results can be delayed. There were 2,772 newly recorded confirmed cases Saturday. The 7-day positivity rate is 2.0%. There have been 51,099,687 tests conducted in California. This represents an increase of 226,580 during the prior 24hour reporting period. There have been 55,235 COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic. As of March 14, providers have reported administering a total of 11,785,750 vaccine doses statewide. The CDC reports that 15,702,230 doses have been delivered to entities within the state, and 16,361,975 vaccine doses, which includes the first and second dose, have been shipped. Numbers do not represent true day-today change as reporting may be delayed.

County Statistics

San Diego County’s statecalculated, adjusted case rate is currently 8.6 cases per 100,000 residents and the region is in Purple Tier or Tier 1.

ISSN 1937-8416

www.JulianNews.com

by José A. Álvarez, County of San Diego Communications Office

as of March 14*

Julian, CA.

Volume 36 — Issue 33

County May Move To Red Tier - March 17

Back Country Covid-19 Positive Tests

March 17, 2021

Given that the state has met a mark of vaccinating 2 million people in the communities hardest hit by COVID-19, it has revised its tier system, and San Diego County is expected to move to the Red Tier for activities March 17. The change in tiers will allow indoor operations to resume, at limited capacity and with modifications, at restaurants, gyms, movie theaters and other establishments. San Diego and 11 other counties are moving to the less restrictive Red Tier, which now requires a case rate of four to 10 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents. San Diego County’s state-calculated, adjusted case rate is currently 8.8 cases per 100,000 residents. “This is great news for our region. San Diegans have done a good job following the public health guidance and that has driven our case rate down in recent weeks,” said Wilma Wooten, M.D., M.P.H., County public health officer. “Our vaccination efforts have also helped to slow the spread of COVID-19. As more people get vaccinated, the number of cases should continue to decrease.” The County must remain in the Red Tier and post two consecutive weeks of data in the in the Orange Tier before moving to the less restrictive level which would ease more restrictions. Currently, the testing positivity percentage is 3.3%, placing the County in Tier 3 or the Orange Tier. The County’s health equity metric, which looks at the testing positivity for areas with the lowest healthy conditions, is 4.5% and is also in the Orange Tier or Tier 3. These metrics are also expected to decrease when the state announces tier assignments March 16. While two of the three metrics qualify the County for the Orange Tier or Tier 3, the state assigns counties to the most restrictive tier. When the state administers 4 million doses in the vaccine equity quartile, tier assignments will be revised once again. San Diegans With Chronic Illnesses Eligible for Vaccine Monday Starting March 15, people between 16 and 64 years of age who have a severe health condition will be able to get vaccinated against COVID-19, the County Health and Human Services Agency announced today. The vaccine is being made available to people in this category because they are deemed to be a high risk of severe illness from COVID-19 due to their pre-existing medical condition. “People with chronic health conditions should get vaccinated as soon as possible,” Wooten said. “All the vaccines currently available are 100% effective at preventing severe illness from COVID-19.” San Diegans with a developmental or other severe high-risk disability will also be eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine. People in Phase 1 are encouraged to get vaccinated by their health care provider. San Diegans without a doctor should contact 2-11 to be connected to a provider or make an appointment at www. vaccinationsuperstationsd.com. San Diegans who have a health care provider don’t have show proof of an existing medical condition because their medical history is already on file and doctors should be inviting their patients to get vaccinated when it’s their turn. People without a health care provider will be asked to sign a self-attestation form indicating they have one of the chronic conditions listed. Breweries Without Food Can Open Beginning March 13, breweries, wineries and distilleries that do not serve meals may open outdoors only with modifications. Patrons visiting these establishments must have reservations and must observe a 90-minute time limit. Also, service for on-site consumption must end by 8 p.m. The updated guidance does not apply to breweries, wineries and distilleries that provide meals. Vaccination Progress: More than 1.27 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been delivered to the region, and over 1.18 million have been logged as administered. This number includes both County residents and those who work in San Diego County. Of those vaccinated to date, nearly 400,000 County residents, or 14.8% of San Diegans 16 and older, are fully immunized. Overall, nearly 688,000 County residents have received at least one shot of the two-dose vaccine. That’s 25.6% of those eligible. Those receiving the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine are being added to the total of fully vaccinated San Diegans. The difference between doses delivered and those used in a vaccination represents approximately what is expected to be administered in the next seven days and doses still to be entered in the record system. More information about vaccine distribution can be found on the County’s vaccination dashboard. For details on groups currently eligible and vaccination opportunities, visit www.vaccinationsuperstation. com. Community Setting Outbreaks: Three new community outbreaks were confirmed March 11: one in a business setting, one in a TK-12th grade school setting and one in a restaurant/bar setting. In the past seven days (March 5 through March 11), 12 community outbreaks were confirmed. The number of community outbreaks remains above the trigger of seven or more in seven days. A community setting outbreak is defined as three or more COVID-19 cases in a setting and in people of different households over the past 14 days. Testing: 12,907 tests were reported to the County on March 11, and the percentage of new positive cases was 3%. The 14-day rolling average percentage of positive cases is 2.9%. Target is less than 8.0%. The 7-day, daily average of tests is 12,857. Cases, Hospitalizations and ICU Admissions: 362 COVID-19 cases were reported to the County on March 11. The region’s total is now 264,889. 13,327 or 5% of all cases have required hospitalization. 1,621 or 0.6% of all cases and 12.2% of hospitalized cases had to be admitted to an intensive care unit.

Scammers Are Already Targeting The Next Round Of Coronavirus Relief Checks

by Tonya Riley with Aaron Schaffer (Washinton Post)

Cybercriminals are flooding potential victims with scams using the pending coronavirus relief plan as bait. That's according to a new report by researchers at cybersecurity firm Proofpoint. Stimulus checks outlined in the bill, which is expected to be passed by the House as early as today, have not been sent out yet. But already last week researchers discovered a campaign of thousands of emails that sought to trick Americans into filling out a phony form to “apply” for American Rescue Plan checks from the Internal Revenue Service. The emails encouraged recipients to download an Excel sheet which, once downloaded, launched a malicious software known as a Dridex that steals personal banking information and other login credentials. In reality, the payments are calculated and sent by the government automatically based on your taxes. This is just the latest example of how the global coronavirus crisis has spawned more scams than any other event in the past decade. “Pandemic-themed attacks remain ever-present, and we’ve never observed such a convergence around a single social engineering lure for such an extended time,” Sherrod DeGrippo, senior director for threat research and detection at Proofpoint, writes in the report. “These campaigns transcend borders, languages, and industries.” The Proofpoint report also notes that hackers are playing on uncertainties around the pandemic and vaccine distribution to try to steal tax forms including W2, W9 and 1099 from businesses. Other emails that researchers found contained malicious software purported to be from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the World Health Organization (WHO), and delivery company DHL. Researchers expect to see pandemic-themed financial scams escalate through the spring. Hackers regularly impersonate the IRS around tax season. The ongoing pandemic has offered hackers an endless flow of new ways to manipulate potential victims. "As we get into tax season, plus the stimulus on top of that, I just see that there's going to be an epidemic of these as we get closer to April 15th,” says Ryan Kalember, executive vice president of cybersecurity strategy at Proofpoint. Campaigns such as those tracked by Proofpoint often serve as a jumping-off point for even more damaging cybercrime. The hackers behind the crimes often serve as initial brokers, selling the stolen credentials to other hackers to use. In some cases, hackers use the initial attacks to plant malware such as ransomware to reap a payday later on. The scams could have lasting continued on page 12

Pick Your Daffodils You Make The Show February seems to sneak in and warm us up in Julian. Apricots are showing, plums are exploded with blossoms and you may have noticed your daffodils are jumping up. Julian’s Daffodil Show will be this Saturday March 20 and Sunday March 21, Noon to Five pm.. We need you to search through your yard for the best blooms: no dirt (use a soft brush to remove), no tears, long stems and proud balanced daffodils.. If you want entry cards early to fill out prior to Friday, March 19, please pick them up at the Library. Sharpies can mark stems with their daffodil names, if you know them. Donations of all other blooms are gladly accepted to raise funds for the show. The buds need to have some color on the tips if you expect them to open. Place them in a vase of water in your refrigerator or a cool dark place. The day or two before March 19, bring them to the light; a windowsill or bright table. Since the nation has noticed this small town show, we all need to bring your best two to thirty stems

Women’s Club Easter Basket Project

Like a breath of fresh air, Gina Helms and her daughter Brooke Gonzalez have brought renewed energy to the 95 year old Julian Woman’s Club. Brooke, 15, is now the youngest member of the club. Together this Dynamic Duo created a Kindness Campaign that is resonating with club members and the community. Last winter Brooke collected mittens and socks that were distributed to local elementary school children. In January Brooke and her mother prepared Daily Pick Me Up Boxes with positive quotes written on hearts. All club members had an opportunity to select a box and also to prepare hearts and quotes for others. It was great encouragement during the month. Now, these ladies have an Easter Basket project. Selected deserving children will receive specially prepared baskets made from donated items and funds with which to purchase more. Friends, family, and club members donate to help Brooke and Gina. Funds have allowed the purchase of a Bunny costume for Easter photos for all local children. This is just the beginning for these ladies who are determined to bring kindness to Julian. They are unstoppable. Julian Woman’s Club is not just a group of elderly women! Members are all ages, and we invite mothers and daughters to join (even men and boys). All persons are invited to get involved and get onboard with our Dynamic Duo. Info: julianwomansclub.org

Snow On The Ground Means Traffic In Town

DEHSILBATSE

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The Camber has added a second Web Cam to help keep an eye on traffic. SRAEY

DAFFODILS ARE THE FLOWER OF HOPE !

Annual Daffodil Show - Town Hall - Saturday/Sunday


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