Elementary schools may reopen as early as next Wednesday, but only if the current adjusted COVID case rate stays at 25 or below. A smiling Dr. Henning Ansorg made the announcement on Friday, adding information on the potential to open sports activities and an admonition that schools would only open if the numbers stayed low through Monday evening. “We are really excited about this new development because we know how important it is to get our kids back in school,” said Ansorg, Santa Barbara County’s health officer.
The county’s case rate had been in the 70s and 80s, Ansorg said, “not so long ago.” As cases were going down swiftly, reaching the red tier was even possible within weeks, he thought, as long as people continued to wear masks, stay socially distanced, and avoid gathering. “It takes really only a couple of weeks to get down,” Ansorg said. “It can be very rapid, depending on our collective behavior.”
Super Bowl Sunday had the most recent super-spreader potential, and Ansorg thought any increase in cases would become evident by next Friday.