“This virus doesn’t take the weekend off, and it doesn’t go home if it’s a sunny, beautiful day along our coasts,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom a few days before he closed Orange County beaches on Thursday. As Southern California heads into another warm weekend, Supervisor Gregg Hart quoted the governor and praised Santa Barbarans for taking the virus in stride, at the Friday afternoon COVID presser. He also warned that sheriff’s deputies would be patrolling beaches by horseback and all-terrain vehicle from Gaviota to the Rincon to explain that physical distancing is required, even outdoors.
“We can focus on the negative and lash out,” said Hart, “or be calm and carry on.” Though a small cavalry of honking vehicles had passed through Santa Barbara earlier that day, no mention was made of their objections to facemask fearmongering and the stay-at-home order.
The Friday numbers for the county were no new deaths — though eight have succumbed thus far — 10 new individuals tested positive, 60 people were recovering at home, and 36 were in the hospital, 14 of them in an intensive care ward. The county had a total of 506 cases.