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SAN DIEGO — A plan to purchase two hotels to house up to 400 homeless people now living in a temporary shelter at the Convention Center was unanimously approved Friday by San Diego housing commissioners, who also approved funding for support services at the sites for the new tenants.Because about 800 people at the Convention Center still will need shelter after the hotels open, commissioners also approved a plan to reinstate and add more beds to a homeless shelter at Golden Hall at the San Diego Concourse and to reopen, with a reduced number of beds, other shelters that were closed because of the pandemic.The plan to purchase Marriott Residence Inns in Mission Valley and Kearny Mesa is expected to advance to the San Diego Housing Authority for final approval next month, and the housing will be available when the Convention Center shelter closes by the end of the year.
sdconventionctr U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams visited our Convention Center this week to tour Operation Shelter to Home with Mayor @kevinfaulconer.Dr. Adams said: “My time in San Diego has been incredibly productive and given me unique insight to bring back to Washington. I especially appreciated the opportunity to learn about these local efforts to protect both the most vulnerable among us, the minority populations who have been more susceptible to the virus, and the cross-sector partnerships supporting the health of San Diego’s citizens.”
Closing the shelter after eight months in operation does not mean the Convention Center will be returning to its intended use anytime soon, however. After speaking at a Tuesday press conference outside the venue, Convention Center President and CEO Rip Rippetoe said no events are booked during the first quarter of 2021, but others are scheduled, for now, in April and May.“Everything from May on is a strong possibility,” he said, acknowledging some doubts about April.While 18 events in early 2021 already have been cancelled, four are still on the books for March, with the first and largest the IPC Apex Expo for electronics manufacturers, which could draw 8,000 people March 9-11. Seven events still are scheduled for April, including a private event and seminar that could attract 14,000 people April 8-9. For now, Comic-Con International still is scheduled for July 22-25.
With the vaccine rollout happening here in the UK next week, discussions have begun about getting fans back in sports stadiums. There is now press articles suggesting that full stadiums could happen by the end of the Spring. Once the older generation (over 60s) and the vulnerable have been vaccinated. While many will say it is dangerous to put a time limit on it and also dangerous to have full stadiums etc, what is the point behind it is that many who frequent these places are of the ages where the virus mortality would not affect them. All eyes on the UK for the next several weeks as to how we handle it and what happens after many have been vaccinated.
"We've got to make sure that people get vaccinated. So if 75-85 percent of the people in the country get vaccinated as the vaccine becomes available, and the general public, not speaking of the people of the highest priority who have underlying conditions - the young men and women," he explained."If they get vaccinated through April, May and June, and really do a full-court press to get everybody vaccinated, you can get back to normal or at least approaching close to normal, as you get into the late summer and early fall."
Officials have been saying that the vaccine will be generally available in April. I’m skeptical of any events in the first half of 2021 taking place (i.e. Wondercon) but SDCC is scheduled far enough out that I’m also hopeful that it will take place.
I’m hopeful we can safely have a con by the second half of next year if at least a good portion of the country gets vaccinated but people are coming from all over the world? If there’s a con, it will look a lot different I imagine. Maybe they’ll use the online portal more to avoid camping out and long lines? I don’t think we will get a Wondercon in the spring. Too soon.