Santa Barbara First District Supervisor Das Williams — ¡Viva La Fiesta…Safely!

Last week I was talking with a constituent who was worried about the mask wearing habits of tourists while walking outside. I acknowledged it is important to promote people planning on wearing a mask even as part of an outdoor excursion (such as where there are bottlenecks and the inability to keep physical distance from others) even if there are times when it is not necessary (certain types of exercise do not require a mask, especially outdoors and if there are no other people around). Then I pointed out the vented mask she had been wearing around town for the past two months does not work to protect anyone around you and has been banned in some jurisdictions, such as our County, because it only filters air coming in and not the air you breathe out.

This brought to mind how useful it is for even the most dedicated of us to look at guidance from our Public Health doctors, both on mask wearing and the relative risk of different activities. This latter one is timely with this being traditionally Fiesta time in Santa Barbara. I miss the normalcy of our community gathers at this time just as much as anyone else – for me, because of the great Flamenco and Indigenous dances that are featured, but despite my nostalgia I am not having a gathering or attending gatherings with others. Gatherings (defined as any event or convening that brings together people who do not live together in a single room or a single space at the same time) are not allowed by the California Public Health Officer Order issued on July 13th.

If, for some reason, you or others you know need to gather with family or friends they don’t live with, it is imperative that you wear facial coverings, keep at least six feet of distance, try to have the gathering outdoors, and wash your hands frequently. Many COVID cases have been transmitted in times of sustained interaction – such as gatherings with family and friends when your guard is down because they are people you know. It’s important to keep in mind that even people you know can transmit COVID-19 to you without realizing it.

Keep yourself and others safe and help us all get back to work, have businesses reopen, and our kids back in school by beating this illness!

Here is a helpful graphic laying out various activities in terms of risk. An explanation of activities can be found here.

The City of Carpinteria’s Ad Hoc Library Committee and Working Group, on which my office has a seat, will host a presentation on the future of library service in Carpinteria and Montecito. The meeting will feature a presentation on findings from consultants that were hired to look at the options for the future of these two beloved libraries.

The public is invited to attend a live presentation on Carpinteria City Cable GATV 21 or via this Zoom link on August 19th at 5:30 pm. A public question and answer period will follow the consultant’s presentation. Spanish interpretation will be available during the questions and answer period. The presentation will be recorded for future viewing. I hope you will be able to participate!