Public Safety

Tourism In San Diego Comes To A Halt Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

By Maureen Cavanaugh / KPBS Midday Edition Co-Host, Pat Finn / Producer

Published March 30, 2020 at 9:00 AM PDT

This story was published more than 4 years ago.

The parking lot at La Jolla shores is closed following orders from the city of San Diego in order to prevent spread of COVID-19, March 22, 2020.

A very big employer in San Diego — besides the Navy, biotech and academia — is tourism. So what's happening to attractions like Sea World? And what are tourism-dependent employers doing for their laid-off employees amid the coronavirus outbreak?

Sea World is furloughing 90% of its workers starting tomorrow. Legoland is closed until at least April 15 and probably beyond. The San Diego Zoo is closed until further notice.

The airport is a ghost town, and even if some intrepid traveler were to arrive, he or she probably could not find a hotel to stay in or a restaurant to eat at.

The cause of all this inactivity is, of course, the COVID-19 pandemic, which is having a disastrous effect everywhere, but certainly on San Diego's tourism industry.

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Meanwhile, Comic-Con, is due at the Convention Center in July. The Convention Center is currently serving as a shelter for the homeless.

Lori Weisberg, who covers travel and tourism for The San Diego Union-Tribune, talks with Midday Edition on Monday about what's closed and whether furloughed workers are getting any help from their employers. (Spoiler: some are.)

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Maureen Cavanaugh

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Maureen Cavanaugh has been a familiar voice for KPBS listeners for more than 15 years, serving in a variety of capacities including announcer, host, and producer. As host of KPBS Midday Edition, Maureen has interviewed a wide range of notables, such as comedienne Sandra Bernhardt, actor John Lequizamo, author Chuck Palahniuk, composer Marvin Hamlisch, artist Robert Irwin, and designer Zandra Rhodes. But of all the interviews Maureen has conducted, her most special was with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. Before joining KPBS in 1997, she worked as a news anchor for KSDO and KOGO News Radio in San Diego. While working for commercial radio stations in San Diego and in Salt Lake City, Utah, Maureen reported on both hard news and lifestyle features. Maureen has received three "Golden Mike" awards from the Radio and TV News Association of Southern California for economic reporting and breaking news. She has also received a "Best of Show" and “Best Radio Newscast” awards from the San Diego Press Club and the "Flo" Award from Public Radio Program Directors Association for Best Public Radio Announcer in a large market. Maureen is a native of Queens, New York, but after more than 20 years in San Diego she feels she qualifies as a real Southern Californian.

What do you want to hear host Jade Hindmon talk about on Midday?

Pat Finn

Pat Finn previously served as a producer for KPBS Midday Edition and KPBS Evening Edition. Finn began her career in broadcasting at KTLA and KCET in Los Angeles. In 1979 she became KPBS’ Public Information Director, then Director of Advertising and Promotion, Program Director, and Director of Broadcasting. She oversaw the station’s local and national productions, including the one-hour documentary Los Romeros: The Royal Family of the Guitar, and Child Protective Services, a one-hour look inside the San Diego County agency responsible for the welfare of at risk children. Both programs also aired on public television stations nationwide. Finn has earned honors from the Society of Professional Journalists and the Pacific Southwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

See stories by Pat Finn