Encinitas City Council returns to virtual meetings via Zoom

The Encinitas City Council will return to virtual meetings via Zoom next week, Aug. 11, because of the resurge in COVID-19 cases, the city manager said Monday, Aug. 2.

“We had hoped to hold meetings in person moving forward,” said City Manager Pamela Antil. “However, due to the rise in the number of COVID-19 cases, the aggressiveness of the Delta variant in particular, and the uncertainty of the public’s vaccination status, we determined it would be best for all involved to continue City Council meetings online for the time being.

“We will reassess the situation on a weekly basis,” she said.

No word was available Monday, Aug. 2, on whether other cities plan to reinstate more restrictive access because of the increasing cases.

The Carlsbad City Council returned to in-person meetings in July, and will not meet again until Aug. 17. The city’s Beach Preservation Commission will meet virtually Tuesday, Aug. 3.

Oceanside’s City Council continued to meet in the council chambers through most of the pandemic, but did not allow public access to the chambers until June. The city added Zoom access for public comments last year and continues to offer that for people who choose not to attend in person.

Several other cities across San Diego County continue to hold their public meetings virtually.