Santa Barbara County meets state guidelines to improve COVID rank to red tier
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Santa Barbara County says it will move into the red tier of COVID-19 restrictions Wednesday morning at 8 a.m. That's a significant improvement.
Governor Gavin Newsom made the announcement today along with the California Department of Health and Human Services.
Santa Barbara County joins San Luis Obispo County in the red tier. Ventura has not qualified yet and remains in the purple tier.
The County of Santa Barbara Health order will be out this afternoon, and it will begin Wednesday.
Santa Barbara County Public Health Officer Van Do-Reynoso says last week
the adjusted case rate was 6.7 per 100,000 and this week it is 4.5.
"We see a unanimous decrease in all of our areas," said Do-Reynoso.
Under the changes, restaurants will have inside dining again at 25 percent. There will also be limited inside capacity at theaters, museums and places of worship (up to 100.)
Chad Stevens of Chad's restaurant in Santa Barbara says he is ready to welcome customers inside with appropriate spacing. He has been able to enjoy patio, parklet and sidewalk uses for his tables on Cabrillo Boulevard during the pandemic. Stevens is worried about the cooler months ahead and know the scenic waterfront setting is going to need seating options inside.
"It's very important for us to open but do it in a safe way. I hope that we can keep it safe and keep open and we don't move into the other zone again and we are now in a good area," said Stevens.
Halloween guidelines are coming out this Friday.
Van Do-Reynoso says "We are worried about new cases rising" with celebrations.
She says "Halloween can not be celebrated in a safe manner" as we normally do.
Also, 21 schools have received waivers to reopen so far. Under the new ruling, more schools will be able to open with appropriate precautions.
For the second week in a row, Supervisor Das Williams said his message is, "Don't blow it!" He encouraged "smart decision making."
Through contact tracing he says home parties are shown to be an area where the coronavirus spreads. He said, "it would be really good for our society if we make it to orange (the next lower tier.)"
In Isla Vista, "we've had an all hands on deck approach," said Supervisor Joan Hartmann about the effort to get the word out about COVID precautions.
Supervisor Gregg Hart said, "let's move to orange by Halloween." He warned about having numbers go up and restrictions go back in to place. "We can not be in the situation of going back and forth," he said. He cited San Diego as a location that is having trouble holding its progress and may go backwards if the trend continues back up after dropping recently.
Some businesses will not benefit from the change including bars, breweries, and distilleries.
For the public, wearing a mask while outside around others, avoiding crowds and practicing increased hygiene is still highly recommended as a safety precaution from the virus.
RED TIER GUIDELINES
- Hair salons: open indoors with modifications
- Retail: open indoors at 50% capacity
- Malls: open indoors at 50% capacity and limited food courts
- Personal care services (nail salons, body waxing, etc.): open indoors with modifications
- Museums, zoos and aquariums: open indoors at 25% capacity
- Places of worship: open indoors at 25% capacity or 100 people, whichever is fewer
- Movie theaters: open indoors at 25% capacity or 100 people, whichever is fewer
- Hotels: open with modifications, plus fitness centers can open at 10% capacity
- Gyms: open indoors at 10% capacity
- Restaurants: open indoors at 25% capacity or 100 people, whichever is fewer
- Wineries: outdoor only
- Bars and breweries: closed
- Family entertainment centers: outdoor only, like mini golf, batting cages and go-kart racing
- Cardrooms: outdoor only
- Non-essential offices: remote work only
- Professional sports: no live audiences
- Schools: can reopen for in-person instruction after two weeks out of the purple tier
