Santa Barbara police urge people to use common sense during social distancing

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -- Six feet is the distance public health officials are telling people to keep when interacting with others. That distance, however, has shown to be problematic, with large gatherings still occurring and people standing too closely while waiting in line at stores.

On Sunday, Santa Barbara Police Public Information Officer Anthony Wagner said SBPD officers will not ticket people gathering at the beach or riding bicycles in large groups.

He did urge people to adhere to social distancing, use common sense and only interact with those they are in self-isolation with. Those people would include family members or housemates with which keeping six feet of distance is difficult.

People have been calling SBPD's 9-1-1 to report a lack of social distancing. Wagner said those people should not call 9-1-1 for that reason. People should only call 9-1-1 in a real emergency.