Safety stressed as COVID-19 continues

It was Monday evening at Albertsons on Calle Real, and an employee was alert.

She saw a customer not wearing a mask at the Goleta store, where six-feet distances are marked on the floor on the checkout lines. She told the customer to wear a mask, then went on the intercom to remind everyone to do likewise.

It was one example of the efforts by various businesses to keep people safe as Santa Barbara County makes progress toward reopenings and a more normal world.

Most people seem to be following regulations and wearing masks inside businesses. Outside, many people are wearing them throughout the county during the COVID-19 pandemic. That includes the residents and tourists on the new pedestrian promenade on State Street and the wide open spaces of Stearns Wharf.

There are signs reminding people to stay six feet apart. A couple large ones caught the News-Press’ eye Tuesday on the wharf. 

Six feet is the social distancing measure that health officials and organizations around the world stress is crucial to flattening the curve.

On Tuesday, the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department reported 24 new COVID-19 cases in the county. They break down to 13 in Santa Maria, two in Orcutt, three in Santa Barbara, one in Goleta, one in the unincorporated area of the Goleta Valley and Gaviota, and four in other unincorporated areas and the city of Guadalupe.

That brings the total to 1,604.

No new cases were reported at the Lompoc Federal Prison, which has a total of 971 cases.

COVID-19 continues to affect various age groups. Tuesday’s numbers consisted of four cases for ages 0-17, six cases for ages 18-29, 10 cases for ages 30-49 and four cases for ages 50 to 69.

For more information, go to publichealthsbc.org.

Also on Tuesday, Cottage Health reported it was caring for a total of 198 patients across all its campuses. 

Cottage noted it had 160 acute care patients and that 213 acute care beds remain available.

Email: dmason@newspress.com