Hundreds of San Diego businesses may have to close their doors for good –

SAN DIEGO (KUSI) – Hundreds of businesses in San Diego County may have to close their doors for good due to ever-changing government regulations in nearly every industry.

Now San Diego County has been moved back into the purple level, forcing all “non-essential” businesses to suspend domestic operations.

In anticipation of San Diego County’s return to purple level, dozens of local businesses have informed KUSI News that they plan to defy orders and stay open. Most of them explained that they made this decision because if they closed again, they could never reopen.

As businesses continue to make ends meet, San Diego County health officials held an unscheduled press conference announcing that they had stepped up their COVID-19 enforcement efforts. Supervisor Nathan Fletcher explained how the county and the sheriff’s department will work together

Sheriff Bill Gore said four teams of two deputies would begin “full-time engagement” in the county’s 18 towns and unincorporated areas, ensuring compliance with public health orders. Several cities have already confirmed that they will send officers to assist MPs in their duties, Gore said.

With the threat of fast-track enforcement from supervisor Nathan Fletcher, many companies are expected to change their minds and comply with shutdown orders.

During his live shoot, KUSI’s Dan Plante featured a drop-down list of the roughly 600 restaurants that have already closed for good. The list was created by Restaurant Supply Co.

Dan Plante of KUSI lived in El Cajon with Mayor Bill Wells who expressed extreme frustrations over the San Diego County announcement that they have partnered with the Sheriff’s Department to enforce their COVID-19 orders.

Mayor Wells questioned Gavin Newsom’s rationale for implementing a 10 p.m. curfew for all counties in the purple level. Wells likened Newsom’s orders to an implementation of martial law, saying, “I don’t see how this helps.”

Continuing, “I think this is just a show of force from some people on the county supervisory board. I think it’s totally unjustified, I think it’s overkill. I think it happens and takes hard working people, criminalizes them, shows up with a gun and badge, and it’s not even a weapon and El Cajon badge. It’s the county, it’s the big brother, it’s the evil empire that’s coming to get you.

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