Santa Barbara County leaders say the region now meets state standards to open additional businesses, with modifications, as part of its economic recovery plan for COVID-19.  

The Public Health Department has sent the attestation documents to the state, which present local data to show the county meets metrics for COVID-19 case counts, hospitalization and testing capacity, and available personal protective equipment.

The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to send a letter of support at Tuesday’s meeting.

Public Health Director Van Do-Reynoso said state review will take a few days and after approval, local health officers will give reopening guidance to local industries. The county plans to make face coverings mandatory in certain environments, she said, but did not elaborate.

The types of businesses allowed to reopen in this next step include dine-in restaurants (with modifications), some offices, schools and child care, swap meets, car washes, tanning salons and shopping malls. What’s not included, yet, are bars, hair and nail salons, tattoo parlors, gyms, hotels for tourists, and churches and other faith-based gathering places, according to the county.

“The Public Health Department is ready to submit attestation for the readiness criteria. We have drafted the document and have submitted it in draft form to California Department of Public Health for a quick look-see to see if there are any areas we need to strengthen,” Do-Reynoso said.

Local hospitals have sent letters of support, and with the vote Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors will too.

“I want to share that as we loosen the restrictions, there is freedom for movement, there is freedom in participating in activities, but with freedom comes responsibility,” Do-Reynoso said, stressing the need to continue following public health guidelines, including social distancing, disinfecting surfaces, wearing face coverings, and frequent handwashing.

“We as a community really need to embrace the freedom and the responsibility that comes with it,” she said.

Crews conduct road work on State Street in downtown Santa Barbara on Tuesday, as the Farmers’ Market booths are set up farther south.  (Giana Magnoli / Noozhawk photo)

On Monday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the hundreds of Lompoc federal correctional complex inmate cases would not be counted in Santa Barbara County’s attestation process to move into the next reopening phase.

The county is still tracking and reporting case numbers related to the prisons, Do-Reynoso noted.

“Even though we’re parsing out the numbers doesn’t mean we’re distancing ourselves from being involved in any outbreak that happens in the prison,” she said.

Newsom also announced new, lower standards for reopening, eliminating the requirement of zero deaths over a 14-day period — which Santa Barbara and other counties protested as unreasonable. 

Now, counties need to show no more than 25 novel coronavirus cases per 100,000 within a 14-day period (113 for Santa Barbara County) or a positive testing rate lower than 8 percent.

They also need to show that hospitalizations, including intensive care units, are stable over a seven-day period, with no more than a 5 percent increase over that period.

Santa Barbara County’s hospitalization numbers have been stable for weeks, but the Public Health Department has stopped reporting the number of inmates in local hospitals, at the request of the Bureau of Prisons.

That means the hospitalization numbers on the county’s COVID-19 information page are artificially low.

The totals reported Tuesday as part of the attestation process show that last weekend the county had 44 hospitalizations (the highest reported to date), including 27 community members and 17 inmates.

Do-Reynoso called COVID-19 hospitalizations “very minimal” in Santa Barbara County.

With 1,496 reported cases as of Tuesday, she said, “Hospitalization at 43 cases still hovers about 2.8 percent and death at 11 cases is less than 1 percent, at 0.7.”

Santa Barbara County’s total hospitalizations, as reported by the Public Health Department, have been stable for weeks, which officials say is a good sign.  (Giana Magnoli / Noozhawk photo)

Do-Reynoso said the county has a testing capacity of 690 people per day now, and the state-sponsored community testing sites have a shorter wait time for results, about three days.

“The original agreement was that it would be processed within 48 hours, so they’re hitting that mark,” she said.

A coalition of county stakeholders, including medical professionals, created the RISE Guide (Reopening in Safe Environment) which will supplement state reopening guidelines.

Every business should take steps to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19 and make it a safe environment for employees and customers, Assistant County Executive Officer Terri Maus-Nisich said.

Businesses allowed to open in this next phase will go through a self-attestation process and get a certificate to post that shows they’ve taken the actions required by state and public health orders, and are ready to open, she said.

Businesses that need to make tenant improvements or significant physical modifications to their space still need to get the necessary permits and inspections, she noted.

The RISE Guide includes links to state information to help businesses prepare for opening, specifically on pages 47-49, and more resources will be posted on the ReadySBC.org website, she said. 

San Luis Obispo County is also submitting its attestation documents to the state this week, according to the San Luis Obispo Tribune. SLO-based consultant REACH led Santa Barbara County’s development of the RISE Guide, and San Luis Obispo County’s own plan was a major resource.  

— Noozhawk managing editor Giana Magnoli can be reached at gmagnoli@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.

Santa Barbara County RISE Guide