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Face coverings won’t be required of vaccinated people in most indoor settings in Tri-Counties DAVE MASON/NEWS-PRESSDr. Henning Ansorg, the Santa Barbara County public health officer, said the county is now on the downslope of the COVID-19 surge.
Santa Barbara, Ventura and San Luis Obispo counties are ending their indoor mask mandates, effective Wednesday.
Public health departments in the Tri-Counties announced Thursday they were aligning themselves with the state, which decided its California-wide indoor mask mandate would expire Tuesday.
That means as of Wednesday, there will be no state or local indoor mask mandates for vaccinated individuals in most indoor public settings.
The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department explained that it decided it could end the mask mandate because of recent data trends and the characteristics of the omicron variant.
While omicron has proven to be more transmissible than other variants, it has resulted in shorter periods of illness, a lower death count and fewer hospitalizations for fully vaccinated residents, according to the health department.
COURTESY PHOTODr. Van Do-Reynoso, the Santa Barbara County public health director, credits vaccinations, booster shots and testing for diminishing the spread of COVID-19.The number of new COVID-19 cases has fallen since early January, when Santa Barbara County reported around 1,000 new cases a day.
By contrast, the health department reported 244 new cases Thursday.
Dr. Henning Ansorg, the Santa Barbara County public health officer, said the county is now on the downslope of the recent COVID-19 surge, as shown by the decreasing case rates, lower test positivity and stable hospitalizations.
“We have considered how the dominant variant circulates and what effects it has, and have determined we are in a place to be able to lift the universal indoor masking requirement,” Dr. Ansorg said in a statement.
Dr. Van Do-Reynoso, the Santa Barbara County public health director, said the community has endured the 23 months of the pandemic and learned how to best protect itself.
“Vaccination, including receiving a booster, and testing will continue to diminish the spread of this virus, especially as we continue to move past the surge caused by the omicron variant,” Dr. Van Do-Reynoso said in her statement.
Those thoughts were echoed in neighboring Ventura County, where Dr. Robert Levin, the public health officer, said, “The mask order is being lifted because the COVID-19 situation has changed thanks to effective vaccines, effective treatments and a variant that causes less severe disease.”
While not requiring masks for vaccinated individuals, public health departments are recommending them in indoor public settings, especially in crowded areas where vaccination status isn’t known.
“I still highly recommend that all community members wear masks indoors because there is strong evidence that masks, especially high-quality masks, protect both the wearer and those around them,” Dr. Levin said.
The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department said masks will still be required for everyone in public transit, indoors at K-12 schools, childcare, shelters, healthcare settings, correctional facilities and other care facilities.
And the department said masks will be required of all unvaccinated people in indoor public settings.
The health department said the risk for severe illness remains high among unvaccinated individuals. It reported that local data shows unvaccinated people are 5.7 times more likely to contract COVID-19, 3.4 times more likely to be hospitalized for severe illness and 8.1 times more likely to die than people who are up-to-date with their vaccines.
On Thursday, the health department reported that 71.2% of the county’s eligible 5-and-older population and 66.9% of the entire population are vaccinated.
To learn about local opportunities for vaccinations and booster shots, go to publichealthsbc.org/vaccines.
Meanwhile, the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department is encouraging people to ensure indoor gatherings are well ventilated and to stay informed of case rates if you plan to travel elsewhere and act accordingly.
“If you are immunocompromised or care for someone that is, weigh your risk in attending large gatherings,” the health department advised.
To learn about testing sites, isolation and quarantine guidance, go to publichealthsbc.org.
email: dmason@newspress.com
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