Santa Barbara County saw a slight decrease in the amount of COVID-19 cases announced Tuesday, but still reported 21 new cases.
With the 21 additional cases, the county’s total is now up to 1,517.
Of the 21 new cases, 10 reside in Santa Maria, eight at the Lompoc Federal Prison complex, one in Santa Barbara, one from an unincorporated area and another from a pending location.
Of the total cases, 28 people are recovering in a hospital, with 11 in the Intensive Care Unit, while 28 are recovering at home. The number of COVID-19 deaths remains at 11.
To date, there have been 880 cases of recovery in the county, with 448 of them being from the prison complex in Lompoc, according to the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department.
Additionally, according to the county’s total, there are now 971 cases in the prison system, 519 of which are still active.
According to the Bureau of Prisons, the federal department that operates the Lompoc facilities, there are 944 total cases in the Lompoc facilities.
At the Federal Correctional Institute Lompoc, 873 inmates and eight staff members have tested positive. The U.S. Penitentiary Lompoc has seen a huge jump, however, as 55 inmates have tested positive at the location as well as eight staff members.
To date, 150 inmates have recovered, including 105 in the U.S. Penitentiary, as well as 24 staffers.
And Cottage Health Tuesday reported it is caring for a total of 238 patients at its campuses.
In other news around the county, several local civic leaders will be participating in today’s “Protect. Respect. Wear Your Mask” campaign at 4 p.m. at the Abel Maldonado Community Youth Center in Santa Maria.
According to a press release, the campaign is meant to urge residents to protect themselves, their families, and community members from the virus as the county begins to move to reopen local businesses soon after the state of California recently agreed to new civic reopening guidelines for Santa Barbara County, including the exclusion of Lompoc Prison inmate COVID-19 cases in official counts.
Speakers at the press conference will include Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Glenn Morris, Santa Maria Mayor Alice Patino, Lompoc Mayor Jenelle Osborne, President and CEO of Marian Regional Medical Center Sue Andersen and Allan Hancock College Superintendent/President Kevin G. Walthers, Ph.D.
Also, on Tuesday, the Santa Barbara City Council gave direction to the city’s waterfront director to cancel this year’s July 4th fireworks display.
Prior celebrations have gathered tens of thousands of people to local Santa Barbara beaches, but with the current pandemic, avoiding large gatherings is necessary.
According to the press release, “The city and waterfront department will now focus on making next year’s celebration even grander.”
email: jmercado@newspress.com
