Public Health Confirms 24 Coronavirus Cases in Santa Barbara County
Sheriff Bill Brown and ASL interpreter Mala Poe
By edhat staff
Santa Barbara County Public Health announces 24 confirmed cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) as Sheriff Bill Brown states a decrease in overall crime during Tuesday's press conference.
The Public Health Department (PHD) previously reported 18 cases on Sunday. The 6 new cases range between ages 22 and 59 with four located in south county and two in north county. Currently, the 24 cases include 4 patients who have fully recovered, 19 patients recovering at home, and 1 patient requiring hospitalization.
PHD Deputy Director Paige Batson stated as transmission becomes more widespread the disease containment will move toward mitigation and PHD will prioritize and focus on individuals who have had exposure in congregate settings such as skilled nursing facilities and shelters.
"Anticipate seeing a significant rise in cases for days or weeks to come. Our actions today will dictate how slowly or quickly this virus will travel in our community," said Dr. Henning Ansorg. He continued to state its best to assume the virus is in your community and you're at risk, so stay at home.
Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown provided statistics on an overall decrease in jail bookings during the executive order for residents to shelter in place and commended the community's great success in complying with orders.
This past weekend, law enforcement calls were down by 28% compared to one month ago, emergency medical services calls were down by 10%, and jail bookings were down by 67%, said Brown. Although he did state there was an uptick in domestic disturbances, but that was to be expected as some people "don't get along."
Brown also stated most businesses are complying with closure or new guidelines as the goal for deputies is to be "long on discretion, short on enforcement" in regards to executive orders. Although, he warned anyone engaging in price gouging, burglarizing closed businesses, or taking advantage of people during this time will be brought to justice. Frequent violators of the shelter in place order could potentially be charged with a misdemeanor and in certain cases jailed, he stated.
The County Jail was previously engaged in an early release program prior to the COVID-19 orders. The jail is currently housing 766 inmates, the lowest population since Brown's 13 years as Sheriff. It's required that inmates serve one-third of their sentence before their released and they must have a low likelihood of reoffending before they qualify for an early 30 day release. Approximately 3-4% of inmates of have been released early, said Brown.
The full press conference is available below:
40 Comments
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Mar 26, 2020 01:26 AMTake that 24 cases and multiply it by at LEAST a 100. I think a better estimate would be in the thousands. Why ? Because there are a lot of people who have been very sick and can't get tested. I was told by a doctor today that the health department has some test kits, but you have to have been exposed to someone diagnosed with Covid-19 to get tested. ( I haven't tried to call them myself yet) It doesn't matter if you have all the symptoms, are over 65, and have chronic breathing problems. Bottom line people......24 confirmed cases doesn't seem like many...DON'T try to play the odds, because the odds may NOT be as good as what you think.
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Mar 26, 2020 08:06 AMMultiply by 100? I think it should be multiplied by 1,000 based on the detailed information and facts that you have provided.
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Mar 25, 2020 10:58 PMAt DLV TJs they no longer let you use your own bags. They bag your groceries in new paper bags. You have to socially distance from the cashier by 6’, and they have 6’ tape markers for people in line. It looks like they are taking lots of precautions to protect their employees from potentially contagious shoppers. Maybe they are taking in lessons from stores in NYC?
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Mar 28, 2020 06:43 PMBut at Lazy Acres today one can not bring into the store one's own reusable bag but must leave it outside. TJ's doesn't have the shelving outside for the shoppers' own bags.
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Mar 26, 2020 06:16 PMOkay. I came here to debunk this latest bit of misinformation. As of 3/26/20, 4:00 p.m., when my housemate went to T.J.s on Milpas---------YOU CAN STILL TAKE YOUR OWN BAGS. It's just that you will then have to bag your own groceries. After I read SHASTA's "no reusable bags" fabrication, and as my housemate was en route to do the shopping, I told my housemate: "Get the groceries, have the cashier put the items the cart and then you can bag them at the car." But he told me just now the Trader Joe's manager said you can STILL l bring your own reusable bags and so on. MYTH BUSTED.
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Mar 25, 2020 05:22 PMThe state of Massachusetts prohibited reusable bags for grocery shopping today. Only single use plastic or paper bags free, provided free of charge is allowed now to prevent shoppers from bringing the virus in with their bags.
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Mar 25, 2020 10:45 PMBagging your own groceries is nothing new at both these cruddy stores.
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Mar 25, 2020 08:46 PMAre people disinfecting their reusable bags? Seems like they'd be hotbeds for harboring something like this.
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Mar 25, 2020 07:50 PMLocally, Ralph's was allowing customers to use reusable bags. Vons allowed them but only if customers bagged their own groceries. This was as of Monday. Both stores on Hollister.
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Mar 25, 2020 01:18 PMWell, we know there's at least one case in Goleta. This is from Nextdoor, KEYT and also Facebook (so there's no privacy issues):
https://keyt.com/health/2020/03/24/goleta-resident-describes-experience-with-covid-19/
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Mar 25, 2020 12:28 PMVentura, Kern, LA, and SLO counties are providing far better data on their cases, including WHERE the cases are. The World Health Organization recommended today that all countries stop looking just at aggregate totals, and instead look at their data down to the village and district level. Where you see clusters starting, get on top of it, shut it down, and test to find connections to others so you can isolate faster and shut down the curve.
Scuttlebutt: our PHD director is screwing this up royally, from insiders in the department...
Push your elected officials for better performance and accountability. Mayor Cathy - what are YOU doing? Bad News Bears on City Council? Monique? HBJ? County sups??? Demand better info and more proactiveness from County Public Health.
Finally, that Officer that said we'll be fine...with 62 beds across the county. WTH?
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Mar 25, 2020 10:27 AMOnly a matter of time.
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Mar 25, 2020 10:05 AMAll the people flocking to local hiking trails and parks needs to be stop. How is that social distancing when you have whole families on a narrow trail and hope one of them doesn't cough or sneeze as you squeeze by them..
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Mar 25, 2020 01:14 PMTrails, yes. Parks, no. Families can easily keep to themselves in parks and beaches. The reason I keep harping on this, is that this type of hysteria about people being outdoors at all can lead to over-reaching rules that end up with ALL outdoor places being banned. Increase patrols, ticket/arrest/jail those who are flagrantly violating those rules. But PLEASE, please leave public outdoor places open for those of us who simply need to get outside and explore with our kids. It's SO EASY to do this safely.
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Mar 25, 2020 07:47 AMHere’s a link to an article of a state wide maps showing cases in each county as of about a day ago. *** https://www.dailydemocrat.com/2020/03/24/map-coronavirus-cases-in-california-by-county/. *** Head to the hills of far Norther California!
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Mar 25, 2020 11:05 AMReferring to LUTRA's LA Times link.
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Mar 25, 2020 11:03 AMA takeaway was how we don't know the number of people tested because of the patchwork way it's being done. Experts say comprehensive testing is an important part of the management policy. This is where other countries have a leg up on the U.S. because care is coordinated at local levels.
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Mar 25, 2020 10:32 AMThe locals in Northern California don't want you.
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Mar 25, 2020 08:43 AMHere's an LA Times summary of all cases around CA by county. It's one of the most comprehensive and organized summaries that I've found. The more detailed info is concentrated on the LA area, but they have nice charts and info by top cities affected, etc. https://www.latimes.com/projects/california-coronavirus-cases-tracking-outbreak
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Mar 25, 2020 06:50 AMThe number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Santa Barbara jumped from 18 on Monday to 24 on Tuesday, county officials announced, with a “surge” of new patients expected in the coming days and weeks. Of the 24 cases, one is being treated in the hospital, 19 are recuperating at home, and four have fully recovered.
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Mar 24, 2020 10:17 PMAn interesting social distancing scoreboard based on cell phone data. An "A" score reflects reduction in distance travelled by >40%, etc. ...... https://www.unacast.com/covid19/social-distancing-scoreboard
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Mar 24, 2020 08:54 PMIt's likely to be 50 by the weekend, and take months to resolve.
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Mar 25, 2020 08:33 AM50 known cases, and who knows how many more unknown. NY, which is testing far more people than we are, is reporting double the number of cases every 3 days.
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Mar 24, 2020 08:28 PMIn a week it will be 50, then 100 the next and so forth. The only knowledge worth knowing is how to keep yourself virus free by staying home and social distancing when getting necessary items away from your home. Knowing who is infected where is immaterial. Assume every object you are unfamiliar with have virus on it and wash your hands at your next available opportunity. Assume everyone you encounter was not disciplined and could pass the virus onto you. In a few weeks hopefully we’ll able drop this hyper intense caution and live normally again.
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Mar 24, 2020 06:44 PMDid anyone ask what is the rationale the location of the cases aren't given? I totally disagree with this decision. Ventura County, LA both give specific location data. Does our PHD have a smarter idea why hiding that info is better for the public?
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Mar 25, 2020 01:29 PMBut NOT releasing location details does give a maybe false sense of security. Few are going to be able to live comfortably in the mindset that every place, every person is a threat, so many if not most will think, ah, ha, no mention of Milpas area, for instance, so it must be safe! PHD are public servants, paid by the public, for the public; why should they not inform the public in the same way that other counties, cities in CA are doing?
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Mar 25, 2020 12:40 PMICANREAD - it's not that we need it in order to "be smart" about anything, it's that knowing where specific cases are would help some of us make informed decisions as to where not to take a risk. For example, if I know there are 10 cases in IV and that's where I usually do my banking, shopping, etc, I will make the informed decision to avoid any essential public place completely. Sure, it's best to assume everyone has it, but this can only help and not hurt. I think that's the reason some of us are pushing for specific cities, not just county #s.
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Mar 24, 2020 09:13 PMIt is a pandemic. Location info is a big part of control and prevention for the public. It is ridiculous to think hiding it does any good at this time. The public deserves to know which cities have how many cases. Period.
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Mar 24, 2020 08:39 PMWhy do we need specific location info to be smart about this?
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Mar 24, 2020 08:00 PMI don’t see why they don’t release more specific location info, but it wouldn’t change my behavior. Assume all people are contagious. Word is that people are contagious for a full week before they have symptoms, so anyone and everyone is suspect. Maybe they don’t release details so we don’t feel a false sense of security?
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Mar 24, 2020 07:51 PMI'd be much more interested in where the person works, than where they reside.
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Mar 24, 2020 07:48 PM6:44 - Good question. HIPAA does not prevent releasing the names of the cities where they live, only the individuals' personal, identifiable information (name, address, etc). Should be no problem releasing that info.
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Mar 24, 2020 07:40 PMPrivacy laws
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Mar 24, 2020 06:05 PMOMG did Beown really attribute Domestic Violence to people “not getting along”- ugh. This is the 21st century. Domestic ciolence assaults are exertion of power and violence.
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Mar 26, 2020 06:51 PMNo... he said... “Although he did state there was an uptick in domestic DISTURBANCES, but that was to be expected as some people "don't get along."“ ...That IS different than domestic VIOLENCE. It can easily occur because people can’t get out, and away from each other as much as they usually do. Like going to a gym or shopping like they would probably do. And, the kids are home 24/7 now too... YIKES!!! Even my Mother and I, who I loved, and she loved me, needed times apart with others.
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Mar 24, 2020 06:36 PMDomestic violence calls will naturally escalate and not just because of adults, but kids are home from school and can't go anywhere. Imagine being a teenager and having siblings and the constant togetherness... TORTURE! So yeah, the calls are made because people hear yelling, door slamming, things like "I'm going to kill you!!" and stuff that isn't truly domestic violence but more like kids, not getting along.
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Mar 24, 2020 06:11 PMbut "not getting along" is sometimes what sparks anger and arguments. its not unheard of. You get in an argument you are not asserting "power and violence". but anyways.
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Mar 24, 2020 06:08 PMYeah that was dumb.
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Mar 24, 2020 05:56 PMSanta Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said most people have obeyed the health officers order, but there have been some instances of people violating the order. Brown said people may be arrested for violating the order Please heed the warning!
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Mar 24, 2020 07:42 PMDon’t get too excited PUG. There is no way they will arrest anyone for not following the order. They are releasing prisoners early and barely arresting anyone. They have a skeleton crew and are only responding to emergency calls or where life or property is In jeopardy. They have no intention of Bringing the people sitting on the patio of Jeannines in to lockup.