After 453 consecutive days on various degrees of state-ordered, pandemic-inspired emergency restrictions, Santa Barbara County Public Health officials breathed a collective sigh of relief this Tuesday and notified the public — via the county supervisors — that the days of mandatory mask-wearing and social distancing are over and done with. Thanks to an edict issued months ago by Governor Gavin Newsom, June 15 marked the first day of the county’s “journey to full recovery,” in the words of Public Health Director Van Do-Reynoso.
The underlying regulatory realities are, of course, far more complicated, with enough exceptions to the rules to keep a flock of attorneys fully employed. Everyone, for example, must still wear masks on all planes, trains, public buses, and ride-sharing vehicles. All K-12 students must wear masks indoors whether they’ve been fully vaccinated or not. At alI mega events — defined as 5,000 people indoors or 10,000 outside — masks must be worn. And private businesses are empowered to require masks for those who can’t provide adequate proof of vaccination. It’s up to the business owners to decide whether a simple yes or no suffices as adequate or whether a vaccination card is necessary.
Do-Reynoso — who has spent the past 15 months running a metaphorical marathon sprint — delivered an abbreviated briefing on the state of the disease using state-generated statistics. It would be, she said with a notable lack of regret, the last time she expected to do so.