Doctors urge Santa Maria community to take COVID-19 seriously as cases spike

SANTA MARIA, Calif. - Week after week, Santa Maria continues to be a coronavirus hotspot.

That has Marian Regional Medical Center doctors urging the community to take the pandemic seriously and follow safety precautions.

"The state government and local health agencies have made it clear that many businesses are not going to be allowed to re-open unless we slow the spread of the virus," said Dr. Scott Robertson with the Marian Regional Medical Center.

This week a total of 113 COVID-19 cases were reported in a single day in Santa Maria.

If each person in the community doesn't follow health orders, doctors say the pandemic will not improve.

"Fortunately we have some simple steps we can implement to do that. Wearing a mask anytime you’re outside of your home, keeping your hands clean and social distancing are all effective prevention measures," said Robertson.

Doctors say slowing the spread of the virus will require everyone’s cooperation.

They say wearing a mask, social distancing, and hand-washing continues to be the most important action you can take to help decrease the numbers dramatically.

"We must also understand that it’s not going away anytime soon. Our efforts to mask, to social distance and hand wash will all help to reduce the spread of this virus," said Candice Monge with the Maria Regional Medical Center.

Following home sheltering will also help keep everyone safe and slow the spread of the virus.

"We cannot have a healthy economy without a healthy community, and we all have a responsibility to do our part," said Robertson.

Santa Maria continues to have the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the County of Santa Barbara.