Santa Barbara County Public Health Department started mandating face coverings indoors again on Aug. 6—a departure from current state guidelines—amid rising COVID-19 cases.
California’s current statewide guidelines require masks in some settings, like public transit and K-12 schools. In retail stores, restaurants, and other private indoor settings, masks are required for unvaccinated people but only recommended for vaccinated people, according to state guidance released on July 28.
But Santa Barbara County’s new mask mandate requires face coverings for everyone indoors, regardless of their vaccination status. It’s one of the first times that the county has implemented stricter rules than the state during the pandemic.
“We chose this path because we looked at our numbers. When we look at our case rate and when we look at our hospitalizations, these were increasing exponentially, at least the case rate was, and it got us worried,” Public Health Director Dr. Van Do-Reynoso said. “We looked at what other jurisdictions were doing and we came to that conclusion for our community.”
Santa Barbara County is the only Central Coast jurisdiction requiring masks for everyone right now. SLO County and Ventura County are following the state by only recommending them for vaccinated people as of Aug. 9.
Do-Reynoso believes that requiring everyone to mask up indoors, combined with a continued push to get people vaccinated, will help slow the spread of the virus and the Delta variant. She said she does not anticipate that the county will have to implement any other stricter health orders to get there.
“At this point in time, we want to really focus on vaccination and increasing that percentage in our community,” she said. “What we would want to do is continue to recommend, in addition to getting vaccinated, in addition to masking, for people to avoid crowds and make sure they’re masked if they’re in a crowded situation.”
As of Aug. 2, the county’s case rate per 100,000 sits at 12.3. One month prior, the case rate was just 2.3.
Another major concern for the county is the number of people hospitalized. As of Aug. 6, 29 people were hospitalized with four in the ICU from COVID-19. Overall, 69 percent of hospital beds are in use. This includes those hospitalized for other reasons.
“When the percentage of hospital beds in use reaches the red zone, [that’s] where we get worried, and we’re there,” Do-Reynoso said.
She said the main concern is if the county gets to a place where elective surgeries or other critical health care needs have to be put off in order to care for those hospitalized. But with the new masking mandate in place, Do-Reynoso said she’s hopeful that the current rise in cases will soon hit its peak. She encouraged community members to follow the rules and take other precautions to limit possible exposure to the virus.
This article appears in Aug 12-19, 2021.
