Edhat StaffBy edhat staff
The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department (PHD) reports the total COVID-19 cases have now reached 3,164.
On Wednesday, July 1, PHD reported 268 new cases that included 88 cases from within the past 2 weeks and 25 cases that are 2 weeks or older.
Of the total cases, 994 are related to the outbreak in the Federal Prison in Lompoc. Of the 2,170 cases, the City of Santa Maria contains 1,213.
It’s currently unclear how many cases are active within the community. PHD will be hosting a public press conference at 3:30 p.m. Thursday to update the community.
Show some concern for the kids, how they feel, what they are going through – F budgets and politics.
1:02 – YES! Kids are losing out on a normal childhood now as it is, do NOT close the schools just to free up money. Can you imagine how much further behind the rest of the world we’d be (if that’s even possible) if we closed the schools and relied on remote learning? Just stop, it’s absurd.
There was a health order press released issued at 1:10pm today and it is basically a more specific version of the Governor’s order yesterday – no new closures of businesses or beaches. Perhaps there will be another order later on. One can hope.
Maybe all those opposed to the beaches being open should go down there and picket. I’d go do that. Hold up a sign saying, “GO HOME L.A!” I think the SB City Council knows most of us are pissed about this, they just don’t freakin’ care. Vote them out, aside from Oscar and the others who tried to help you.
NEW ORDER JUST RELEASED – SB County beaches are CLOSED!! Way to go, people!!
Dr Ansorg shut it down. Well done.
https://keyt.com/lifestyle/outdoors/2020/07/02/santa-barbara-county-orders-beaches-to-close-for-fourth-of-july-weekend/
7/4’s power in U.S. identity can’t be overstated. Personal and collective meaning and memories are among our most treasured. Even so, as seen in comments here many of us are deeply concerned about public safety and pandemic risks of opening our County & City beaches for the holiday weekend this year. In one of the recent comments “Anonymous” wrote: “Is there any petition or action being taken to tell the City what we think about them opening (and advertising) our beaches this weekend?” Not knowing how/where else to do something I’m going to write up a formal Petition and request Ed to publish it in some way that individuals with unique public or anonymous ID can “sign” for/against beach closure for County/City. If it can be done and enough “sign” we can try to find some way of getting it to the County & City.
Concerns: Crowds, alcohol, fireworks, violence, surge in pandemic cases here & adjoining closed beach counties, and risks to police and anyone else trying to enforce pandemic precautions. That’s just off the top of my head, not having waded thru all the preceding comments. In favor of beach opening are commerce, tradition, hope of calm safe & sane unity, faith in human nature and effective enforcement, and what “freedom” means to each of us.
It’s March all over again
FERNALD – yup, just like we all warned about. Not enough people took this seriously and now we’re back to square one.
So all of you have been on edhat since March ftfo about the virus. How many of you actually got it? If mask work so well why did this spike happen? Hint: they don’t work.
Yeah, okay doctor. Where are you getting your data? Because all the data I’ve been reading (recently) from doctors and disease experts say the opposite. Also…take a look around. How many people are actually WEARING masks. Take a look at the source of the transmission – community/ close community transmission. In other words, at home or at family parties where people aren’t masking.
Dine-in restaurant. That’s the place you don’t wanna be.
420722 oh, but research shows they do. Read.
The goalposts keep moving. Many posters here have said it was a hoax, masks don’t work, it’s not spreading, everything’s fine, reopen everything, protest against masks. “Oh but the hospitalizations increased.” “Oh but it doesn’t affect younger people.” Oh the governor is a communist. “Fauci made false predictions” – but he got it right. “Oh they are just trying to get trump.” You didn’t get it. You followed misinformation. Now we are paying for your BS.
420722 Had a family friend die from it and another family friend very ill with it and hospitalized. Hope that doesn’t hurt your fragile ego.
That is so tragic that your family friends didn’t wear mask, unless your saying they did wear one but it failed to keep them from getting the virus. Which is it?
So that would be 155 new cases for yesterday – not including the delayed reporting cases? Wow.
10:32 – Wow is right! One of the reasons they closed the bars, just can’t figure out why they invited all of LA, Ventura and OC up for the weekend though. SB City Council blew it BIG TIME.
0.0003% in the entire county came down with the flu yesterday.
Is there any petition or action being taken to tell the City what we think about them opening (and advertising) our beaches this weekend?
Being a parent I know the importance of kids having in-school learning time and the importance of socializing and being around other kids – but if this continues I just can’t see how in-school learning will be feasible in the fall.
Agreed Sacjohn. Maybe the council will have second thoughts and at least close parking lots. I’ll be staying home this weekend for sure.
Closing schools will release 50% of the state budget, since that much money is guaranteed to go directly to K-14 every single year under Prop 98. How should we spend that much freed up cash, once it is no longer needed to keep our schools open?
Communicate you displeasure on the way the opening and 4th of July holiday is being handled. There is no enforcement. Un-masked tourists and residents roam State St, the Funk Zone and many of our stores. With this spike and the holiday our beaches should be closed to discourage tourists from heading to Santa Barbara.. With the spike (268 positive tests over 2 days) we should be sheltering in place NOW. The only way to save our economy is to stop the spread. With the continuing increase in COVID-19 positive cases we instill fear and decrease consumer confidence and risk our healthcare system and lives of our residents. Email the Public Health Officer, City Council and the Board of Supervisors and tell them what you want them to do:
Henning.Ansorg@sbcphd.org, SBCityCouncil@SantaBarbaraCA.Gov, PCasey@SantaBarbaraCA.Gov, sbcob@countyofsb.org, Van.Do-Reynoso@sbcphd.org
The City and Country net to shut down NOW! Call the Public Health Department: 833-688-5551 and demand that our ELECTED OFFICIALS close the beaches and order that everyone shelter in place NOW. Email: Henning.Ansorg@sbcphd.org, SBCityCouncil@SantaBarbaraCA.Gov, PCasey@SantaBarbaraCA.Gov, sbcob@countyofsb.org, Van.Do-Reynoso@sbcphd.org
There is no way to stop the spread. It might be possible to slow it down a little, but this won’t end until the virus runs its natural course. Sheltering in place might slow the virus temporarily, but the virus will simply resume spreading where it left off upon re-opening. SB county was locked down when we had very few cases of the virus. Now as the spread of the virus progresses we have nothing to show for that effort but permanently closed businesses. If we “re-lock” we will destroy far more businesses, jobs, and livelihoods, but we will not stop the virus. We need to be practical, not panicked.
If this continues, I don’t see how in-school learning will be feasible ever again! We need to change our approach and transition back to normal life now.
Chip said “but this won’t end until the virus runs its natural course.” There is no current proof that once you have the virus you gain immunity forever or you are provided much or any herd immunity. So no, it’s not over until it runs it’s “natural course.” More likely, it’s over if we get a working vaccine and a majority of people take the vaccine. Chips assessment is also wrong as you can easily compare to the curves in China and Italy – and other countries who moved past the first wave by sheltering and distancing.
“Freeing up money” by closing schools? Most of the money goes to salaries. No work, no money, no economy. The idea of not having school in any form (including online, for which the staff should be paid) in unimaginable. 190 nations in the world have an education as a right. Not the U.S. Illiteracy and ignorance are too high a price to pay.
Good point 11:15. Closing the schools will provide some major relief for the state budget. Might result in diminished economic output after a couple of generations of kids growing up without going to school though.
Health order being released later to day. Pretty sure it includes SB beaches closed for weekend. Fingers crossed.
The United States reported their highest-ever number of daily cases of over 50,000, so SB reporting such a high daily case count seems consistent with that.
A REAL LOCAL – I just emailed Murrillo and the SB City Council to close the beaches. Oscar Gutierrez responded quickly and apologized he was unable to get the votes needed to close. He did say the beach parking lots in SB City will be closed though. Not sure that helps a whole lot, but at least he tried! Sad that your own Mayor (I’m a Goleta resident, but born and raised in SB) has such disregard for our safety (ours, because it will affect all of us in SB/Goleta).
I’m certain there is no possible connection between the number of new cases going thru the roof and the congested protest rally’s of a few weeks ago. Nope. Positively no connection whatsoever! No-siree!
I’ve grown weary of the anti mask crowd. It does not matter what data/facts you present to them they come up with something else. There is no persuading them. Sadly, I think at this point the only solution is to just be a “Karen” and call the phone # set up to report businesses not enforcing it. I am going to although I don’t normally do stuff like that. I don’t see any other solution here.
I’ve grown weary of the anti mask crowd. It does not matter what data/facts you present to them they come up with something else. There is no persuading them. Sadly, I think at this point the only solution is to just be a “Karen” and call the phone # set up to report businesses not enforcing it. I am going to although I don’t normally do stuff like that. I don’t see any other solution to combat them.
Yes, this is going to be a scary weekend,
To bad Santa Barbara made the decision to close beaches not till Wednesday night, everyone is here already I’m sure the hotels are full. Well stay in your homes Santa Barbara people, wait till the weekend is over. I really hope all businesses make wearing a mask mandatory, because I’ve seen some day nothing to people and just let them in.
Have hand sanitizer at your doors.
Apparently you missed that 113 of the cases were “delayed reporting”. You really need to start doing some research, the #’s are being manipulated to cause fear for political purposes. How about some supporting data to put these new #’s in context?
Ray of hope: Some families are making home-schooling their kids a priority, often using our wonderful library’s free online educational offerings. Nor is all learning academic: A retired roofer and his grandsons just finished a playhouse-storage shed, a tiny temporary guestroom until he and grandma can get back to Baltimore! For thousands of years, education was mostly done at home. The very wealthy had tutors, but most of us passed on skills we knew to the younger generation.
420722 – wearing masks is not a 100% solution but evidence shows that when enough people are wearing them, growth of new cases decreases. Why is it so hard to accept this? Or do you just like being a contrarian?
Also… Its clear you don’t like being “told what to do” and in all honesty, I doubt anyone will be arrested for not wearing a mask unless they cause a disturbance at a private business about it and refuse to leave or assault someone like so many online videos these days are showing. But if masks work at reducing (not eliminating) the spread, wearing them is both the ethical and economical thing to do.