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Good news, expanded testing begins next week, see below for details. Yesterday, Governor Gavin Newsom outlined the State’s plan to reopen the economy in four stages:
Stage 1: Improving testing and tracing, procuring personal protective equipment and ensuring hospital surge capacity.
Stage 2: Opening, with adaptations, school and child care facilities and lower-risk workplaces like retail stores, manufacturers and offices. Park and trail restrictions will also be loosened.
Stage 3: Opening higher-risk workplaces, like gyms, nail and hair salons, movie theaters, sports without live audiences and churches.
Stage 4: End of the stay-at-home order; reopen highest-risk workplaces, like concerts, convention centers and live-audience sports.
California is still in Stage 1. The State identified three areas in Santa Barbara County that qualify for an additional high-volume testing site in order to increase local testing availability. Starting Monday, May 4th, nasal swab testing will be available in Santa Maria. Persons living throughout Santa Barbara County can call or go online by this upcoming weekend to be screened for symptoms and risk factors, and if they are eligible they will be scheduled for an appointment in the city of Santa Maria. Sites in Mid-County and South-County will be announced in the coming weeks. Testing is by appointment only and there is no out-of-pocket cost. Turn-around time for test results is 48 hours. Health care workers, first responders, essential workers, and community members with symptoms qualify for testing. To see a list of essential workers, click here.
Today, the Santa Barbara City Council adopted a measure requiring face coverings to be worn inside the following businesses:
- Pharmacies and drug stores;
- Grocery stores, farm and produce stands, supermarkets, convenience stores, warehouse stores, food banks, certified farmers’ markets and other establishments engaged in the retail sale of canned food, dry goods, fresh fruits and vegetables, water, pet food and pet medication supply (but not grooming or training), fresh or frozen meats, fish, and poultry, or any other household consumer products (such as construction supplies, cleaning and personal care products);
- Organizations and businesses that provide food or other services to the public;
- Hardware and building supply stores, and nurseries;
- Laundromats, dry cleaners, and laundry service providers;
- Restaurants and retail food facilities that prepare and offer food to customers via pick up or drive-through;
- Taxis, ride sharing services, car rental companies, and other private transportation services. The Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District is encouraged to address driver and passenger safety through the use of face masks; and
- Hotels and motels, in publicly-accessible areas.
Businesses shall prohibit the entry of any person not wearing a face mask. A business may provide face masks to customers without charge or make them available for purchase. A business shall provide face masks without charge for the use of its workers.
Face masks may include cloth masks, scarves, bandanas or other face coverings over the mouth and nose of a person. For further details and to read the emergency order, click here. The Santa Barbara County Health Officer is currently reviewing whether or not the County will issue an order as well, however, the County strongly recommends wearing a face covering while in congregate settings.
To date, the total number of confirmed cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Santa Barbara County is 485. Of these cases, 81 are recovering at home, 33 are recovering in a hospital, 11 of which are in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU), 360 have fully recovered, and 3 are pending an update. Unfortunately, we have experienced 8 deaths in Santa Barbara County. To view a map of COVID-19 cases in California by County, click here. On Friday, the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department released a new Health Officer Order, clarifying which businesses the Governor has deemed essential, and can be open, versus non-essential, and must remain closed for the time being. It provides clarification based on local data and needs.
Please take of yourselves and each other!
Das
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