SB County Public Health faces growing outbreak at Lompoc prison

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. - Santa Barbara County Public Health announced 17 new coronavirus cases Friday, six of which are from the ongoing outbreak at a federal prison in Lompoc.

According to County Public Health, ten inmates are hospitalized, with two in the intensive care unit. At least one staff member is also hospitalized.

According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, 45 inmates and 14 staff members have tested positive for COVID-19 at the Lompoc prison.

“It is of great concern,” Santa Barbara County Public Health Officer Dr. Henning Ansorg said. “It’s a very densely populated, small parcel of real estate.”

County Public Health says it is working with the prison, talking at least twice a week and helping with resources. The prison also receives resources from the Federal Government.

Public Health is testing prison staff members. It is also planning to set up a small, makeshift hospital at the prison, if necessary, in case the prison's caseload surpasses available space at local hospitals.

“Measures are being taken very seriously,” Ansorg said. “And given the resources from the federal government and also from the public health, they can be implemented very rapidly.”

Ansorg also mentioned that Marian and Cottage Hospitals now have coronavirus tests with results available within 15 minutes, which should be valuable in emergency rooms when quickly deciding where to put patients.

Meanwhile, people across the County are preparing for a weekend of physically distant Easter and Passover celebrations.

“This may be the first year, for some, to be physically distanced from family at a time that they have always been together,” said Suzanne Grimmesey of the Santa Barbara County Department of Behavioral Wellness. “However, as we’ve come to see and learn, there are many ways we can still creatively celebrate and be together.”