California reopening tier system will end in mid-June, ending capacity limits and some public masking requirements
Board of Supervisors Chair Bob Nelson says during Tuesday’s meeting that the state of California should align with the new federal masking guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Santa Barbara Public Health Director Van Do-Reynoso, right, said county representatives voted to do so, but were in the minority among California counties. (Screenshot via Santa Barbara County ) By Jade Martinez-Pogue, Noozhawk Staff Writer | @MartinezPogue
May 18, 2021
| 3:03 p.m.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new COVID-19-related mask guidance saying fully vaccinated individuals do not need to wear face coverings in most indoor settings, but California, and Santa Barbara County, will not change the current mandates until June 15, Public Health Director Van Do-Reynoso shared at Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting.
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That vaccination center will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday, and from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday.
“COVID-19 vaccines are widely available through local pharmacies and healthcare providers in south and mid county, however there remains a gap for vaccine appointment availability in the Santa Maria area,” Public Health officials said in a statement.
The county plans to stop hosting mass vaccination clinics in Santa Barbara and Lompoc, but will keep providing vaccination opportunities through the mobile clinics, which have different locations each day, and do not require appointments.
County Remains in Orange Tier
Following Tuesday’s tier assessment, Santa Barbara County remained in the orange tier of the state s Blueprint for a Safer Economy.
The county reported an adjusted case rate of 4.6 daily new cases per 100,000 people, a 1.6% testing positivity rate, and a 1.9% health equity testing positivity rate.
Do-Reynoso also shared Public Health’s quarterly COVID-19 report for the months of January through March, highlighting local case, hospitalization, and death trends.
The number of local cases peaked in January, Do-Reynoso said, with the highest number of daily active cases on Jan. 13 at 3,256 cases. Concurrent with the surge in cases, COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths climbed over January and into early February.
By Jade Martinez-Pogue, Noozhawk Staff Writer | @MartinezPogue
April 20, 2021
| 6:18 p.m.
As the number of fully vaccinated residents in Santa Barbara County continues to climb, Public Health Director Van Do-Reynoso outlined what people can do once they’ve been fully vaccinated.
Along with increased protection against the novel coronavirus, being fully vaccinated comes with the benefits of indoor visits, and domestic and international travel.
Individuals are considered fully vaccinated at least two weeks after they receive the second dose of the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines, or at least two weeks after they receive a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Santa Barbara County Advances to Orange Tier of Reopening
Public Health Director Van Do-Reynoso says a new public health officer order will likely be issued Tuesday night, go into effect at 8 a.m. Wednesday
Santa Barbara County Public Health Director Van Do-Reynoso, seen here giving a briefing from her office via Zoom, told the Board of Supervisors Tuesday that the county has advanced to the orange tier of state reopening, which means fewer pandemic-related public health restrictions. (Screenshot via Santa Barbara County COVID-19 briefing ) By Jade Martinez-Pogue, Noozhawk Staff Writer | @MartinezPogue
April 20, 2021
| 10:18 a.m.
After more than a month in the red tier of the state’s tiered COVID-19 reopening framework, Santa Barbara County advanced to the orange tier on Tuesday, which allows higher indoor capacity for businesses and fewer public health restrictions.