By Raiza Giorgi
publisher@santaynezvalleystar.com
The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors voted in favor to send a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom, requesting that the Lompoc Federal Penitentiary be excluded from the county’s numbers as the unique situation needs a unique solution, which the county has no control over.
“The criteria was different from what he implied in the beginning as the new criteria cannot be met unless it is modified and the prison is excluded,” said Gregg Hart, Second District Supervisor.
Of the 1376 positive cases in the county, only 482 of those are in the community and 894 at the prison, according to Public Health Officer Dr. Henning Ansorg.
Of the 482 cases in the community, 394 have fully recovered and there are currently 26 in the hospital with 10 of those in the ICU, Ansorg stated.
Of the three locations to get tested, the Lompoc site has the most availability, Ansorg added. Screening and appointments are available between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. Those who wish to make an appointment can visit https://lhi.care/covidtesting or call 888-634-1123. The test costs will be billed to health insurance, or will be free.
The Santa Ynez Valley has had eight positive cases since the start of the census, according to SBC Public Health.
The prison has 719 active cases and 95 of those have fully recovered.
“The cases in the hospital and the ICU have remained steady and below capacity. There is also a robust ability to accept patients if there is a surge in case of that. This stability to keep new infection at lower level is because of the diligent social distancing, face coverings and excellent general hygiene,” Ansorg said.
Ansorg added we have all come a long way since the beginning and averted a large death toll. By slowly entering the reopening phase, please stay the course and be patient to keep us safe.
For more information on COVID-19 resources visit www.publichealthsbc.org.
