COVID-19 cases continue to drop in Santa Barbara County but masks are recommended in some cases

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The spread of COVID-19 in Santa Barbara County continues to slow down from the rapid pace that raced through communities at the end of December and into early January.

Santa Barbara County health officials are updating the Board of Supervisors today about the status of COVID-19 in the county.

The county reports these key data highlights for February 28, 2022:

• 67.7% of SB County fully vaccinated
• 72% of eligible fully vaccinated
• New cases: 26, Active cases: 391, Total cases: 84,435
• Case Rate per 100k as of February 23, 2022: 13.96
• Test Positivity as of February 23, 2022: 5.0%
• 42 hospitalized

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) issued the following guidelines on March 1, 2022:

• The requirement that unvaccinated individuals mask in indoor public settings will move to a strong recommendation that all persons, regardless of vaccine status, continue indoor masking.
• Universal masking shall remain required in specified high-risk settings.

The universal masking requirement for K-12 and childcare settings terminated after March 11.

CDPH strongly recommends that individuals in these settings continue to mask in indoor settings when the universal masking requirement lifts.

MEGA EVENT POLICIES IN PLACE

With so many public events now on the calendar for the upcoming months, including concerts, fairs, festivals and city celebrations such as Old Spanish Days, the issues surrounding "mega events" are listed here from the CDPH:

Limited Requirements for Mega Events:

Mega Events are characterized by large crowds greater than 1,000 indoor OR 10,000 outdoor attendees. Mega Events may have either assigned or unassigned seating, and may be either general admission or gated, ticketed, and permitted events. Mega Events do not include venues such as shopping malls or museums that are open to public circulation as part of their regular operations, except to the extent that such venues host qualifying events.

Mega Events are considered higher risk for COVID transmission because:

• Participants and attendees are spending extensive periods of time physically close to large numbers of people they don't usually interact with.
• The frequency and total duration of close contact between attendees is increased, thereby increasing the risk that respiratory particles will be transmitted between attendees and participants.
• They draw from beyond the nearby community and will often draw attendees and participants from other states and countries who may be infected with more infectious COVID variants.
• Effective contact tracing may be difficult given the number of potential uncontrolled mixing between groups and attendees among individuals who are unlikely to be together again and the nature of the events.

For Indoor Mega Events (example: conventions/conferences/expos/sporting events and concerts):

In addition to the general public health recommendations:

• Verification of fully vaccinated status* or pre-entry negative test** result is required of all attendees.
• Indoor venue and event operators may not use self-attestation as a mode of verification.
• All businesses and venue operators must check the identification of all attendees age 18 and over to validate their vaccination record or proof of negative test.
• Acceptable identification is any document that includes the name of the person and photograph.
• Attendees are strongly recommended to wear masks and should follow  CDPH Guidance for Face Coverings. Refer to CDPH Get the Most Out of Masking for more information on getting the best fit and filtration for masks.
• Information will be prominently placed on all communications, including the reservation and ticketing systems, to ensure guests are aware of testing and vaccination requirements (including acceptable modes of verification).
• Venues should make masks available to attendees upon request.

For Outdoor Mega Events (example: music or food festivals/car shows/large endurance events and marathons/parades/sporting events and concerts):

In addition to the general public health recommendations:

• Verification of fully vaccinated status or pre-entry negative COVID test result is strongly recommended for all attendees.
• If implemented, venue and event operators are recommended to not use self-attestation as a mode of verification but rather use verification options for providing proof of vaccination in the CDPH Vaccine Record Guidelines & Standards.
• Attendees should follow CDPH Guidance for Face Coverings. Consistent with that guidance, attendees are strongly recommended to also wear masks at outdoor events when they enter indoor areas, such as restrooms, restaurants, retail shops, concourses, or concession stands. Refer to CDPH Get the Most Out of Masking for more information on getting the best fit and filtration for masks.
• Information will be prominently placed on all communications, including the reservation and ticketing systems, to ensure guests are aware that the State strongly recommends that they be fully vaccinated or obtain a negative COVID-19 test prior to attending the event.
• Venues should make masks available to attendees upon request.

Additional recommendations for sponsors of Mega Events:

• Encourage everyone to get vaccinated and boosted, when eligible.
• Encourage all attendees to consider better fit and filtration for masks [Surgical masks or higher-level respirators (e.g., N95s, KN95s, KF94s) with good fit are recommended over cloth masks].
• Facilitate increased ventilation of indoor spaces (i.e., open all windows and doors to increase natural air flow), following current CDPH and CalOSHA guidance.
• Encourage everyone to sign up for CA Notify as an added layer of protection for themselves and the community to receive alerts when they have been in close contact with someone who tests positive for COVID-19. Encourage those who test positive for COVID-19 to alert CA Notify to anonymously notify those who may have been exposed.
• Convey the risk of attending large, crowded events where the vaccine status of others in attendance may be unknown to the individuals.
• Convey the risk of attending large, crowded events for populations that may not currently be eligible for vaccination or may be immunocompromised and whose vaccine protection may be incomplete.
• Encourage all venues along any parade or event route to provide outdoor spaces for eating/drinking/congregating to reduce the risk of transmission in indoor settings.

Watch tonight on Newschannel 3-11-12 for more details