KPBS Midday Edition

San Diego businesses are making plans to reopen as governor says some sectors could resume within weeks. Plus, San Diego Unified is navigating the steep learning curve of distance learning. Also, Imperial County is one of the rural areas getting additional state-funded testing for coronavirus. And, the songs of the red-legged frog will soon be heard around San Diego County for the first time in 20 years but it was almost silenced because of the pandemic. Finally, La Jolla Playhouse’s WOW Festival moves to cyberspace.

With the county easing its restrictions on ocean activities, several cities in the county have reopened their beaches, with some restrictions. Also, Rep. Scott Peters (D-San Diego) joins us with details on the latest relief package for small business owners. Plus, it’s been a year since the deadly Poway synagogue shooting, Chabad of Poway hosted a memorial online to remember the victims. And, San Diego Zoo is starting to feel the pinch of the pandemic as the parks have been closed to visitors for more than a month. Finally, in the latest “Pandemic Pivot” podcast, the parental struggle is real, especially during the pandemic, but there’s help.

Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state will train thousands of contact tracers as part of his plan to reopen the state. We break down what contact tracing is and how it works. Plus, how to grieve during the pandemic as safety restrictions make the feeling of loss all the more difficult to deal with. Also, with more people working from home, there are fewer cars on the road. Advocates are asking the city of San Diego to make the street safer for pedestrians and bicyclists to social distance. And, more from our pop-up podcast “Pandemic Pivot” on how local creatives are adjusting to a lack of work. Finally, pop culture and science fiction have been dealing with the notion of climate change since the Industrial Revolution. Beth Accomando looks at films that tackle the topic of fictional global catastrophes.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom lifted restrictions on scheduled surgeries, a major change to the state’s month-long stay-at-home order. Also, clusters of coronarvirus outbreaks have emerged in nursing homes throughout the state. California has finally released where the outbreaks are happening, at the same time, nursing homes operators are asking the state for legal immunity during the pandemic. Plus, how soon we can get back to normal depends on how robust COVID-19 testing is to prevent flare-ups. And, Diversionary Theatre moves its fundraising gala online because of the coronavirus pandemic. Finally, celebrating the 50th anniversary of Earth Day while under lockdown. We take a look back at the first Earth Day.

UC San Diego is launching an antibody testing program to find out who may have been infected, without experiencing any symptoms, and recovered from COVID-19. Also, testing abilities for the coronavirus in San Diego have grown more quickly than needs and some hospitals are relaxing their criteria to test more people. Plus, the city of San Diego is reopening some parks for passive use. We’ll break down what that means. And, daycare centers are supposed to be open for essential workers, such as doctors and nurses, but some of those workers say they are being denied services because of their potential exposure to the coronavirus. Finally, as more people are turning to their local news outlets for the latest on the COVID-19 pandemic, advertising revenues are plummeting, threatening the viability of local journalism.

A couple hundred protestors are calling for the reopening of public spaces in San Diego but public health experts worry doing so would undo efforts to flatten the curve. Plus, the pandemic is having a devastating effect on higher education. UC San Diego’s chancellor joins us for a conversation about the costs of closing campus. Also, the Navy hospital ship, USS Mercy is supposed to relieve the burden on L.A’s medical facilities, but it is now battling a COVID-19 outbreak of its own. And, the coronavirus is not the first time San Diego has dealt with a global pandemic. We take a look at how the region reacted to the 1918 flu. Finally, how the Old Globe is looking to Shakespeare for inspiration to survive the virus.

The city of San Diego announced massive budget cuts for next year because of COVID-19-related shutdowns, meanwhile SANDAG is projecting an economic slow down for the region. Plus, some coronavirus patients could develop psychological disorders as a result of the disease. And, even though the curve appears to be flattening, local hospitals are still bracing for the possible surge in coronavirus patients.

Stimulus checks are starting to roll out this week to millions of Americans with the goal of getting money to quickly circulate into the battered economy. Also, Gov. Gavin Newsom said he doesn’t see California lifting coronavirus restrictions anytime in the near future and local authorities will have a “profound and outsize” influence on when that will happen. County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher talks about what that will mean here in San Diego. Plus, even with the shelter-in-place orders, law enforcement still needs to continue. How local police officers are handling the job with its new added danger. And, public health officials are supposed to give the public accurate and up-to-date information, but there have been several instances in the past month where that information was incorrect or contradictory. Finally, introducing a new pop-up podcast series on people who are doing creative and innovative things to keep the community connected through COVID-19 isolation.

As Gov. Gavin Newsom laid out the parameters to reopen the state, Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkis created a subcommittee to review state spending related to the pandemic. Tentative talks about lifting shelter-in-place orders have people asking, have we flattened the curve? Plus, military families are struggling to make ends meet because of restrictions designed to stop the spread of COVID-19. Also, conditions at San Diego County jails are frightening inmates amid the coronavirus pandemic. And, the once-sizzling San Diego housing market is flaming out now, what should we expect to see next year?

The approach to feeding people experiencing homelessness in San Diego County has been haphazard at best and the novel coronavirus pandemic has all but shut down most efforts. Plus, MTS had planned to put a multi-billion-dollar bond on the November ballot to expand public transit. Now, that plan hangs in the balance due to coronavirus. Also, the La Jolla Institute is looking for people who have recovered from COVID-19 to study their antibodies as a possible treatment for the disease. And, the usually tense relationship between the White House and California has softened during the health care crisis. Finally, we have a preview of the TCM Classic Film Festival, which moved its programming to cable in response to the pandemic.