Santa Barbara Public Health recommends indoor masks due to increase in Delta variant cases

SANTA BARBARA, Calif .– Santa Barbara County public health officials on Monday announced updated mask guidance as more cases of the COVID-19 Delta variant are reported statewide.

The public health department now recommends that all residents of Santa Barbara County, regardless of their immunization status, wear masks indoors.

The move comes following similar new guidelines announced by Ventura and Los Angeles counties. Los Angeles County has since updated this recommendation to a warrant.

The public health department says the COVID-19 Delta variant is significantly more transmissible than the original coronavirus strain. The variant accounts for more than half of new infections across the country.

“As of July 16, the rate of daily reported cases in Santa Barbara was now 3.6 per 100,000 and increasing,” the public health department said in a press release.

The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department is urging everyone eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine to get one. The vast majority of hospitalizations in the state are unvaccinated people, state officials said.

“We have a method of preventing serious illnesses and hospitalizations due to the COVID-19 Delta variant that we know is effective, and that gets vaccinated,” said Dr Van Do-Reynoso, county public health director of Santa Barbara. “This remains essential for protection against infection, especially with the circulating variants.”

The vaccines are safe, effective, free and widely available to everyone from the age of 12, the health ministry said.

The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department said it will review those recommendations in the coming weeks.

“It remains extremely important that we continue to apply safety guidelines such as staying home if you feel ill, wearing a mask in indoor public places, avoiding overcrowded events and practicing good hand hygiene,” said Dr. Henning Ansorg, Santa Barbara County Public Health Officer. .

To find specific information on the total number of cases, information on hospitalizations, and to find resources on the COVID-19 vaccine, visit PublicHealthSBC.org. You can also call 211 for more information.