Santa Barbara County is nearing the light at the end of the purple tunnel.
If the county can maintain its progress with decreasing COVID-19 rates and hospitalizations, it can move from the state’s most restrictive tier (purple) to the next, less-restrictive tier (red) by the end of the month. Public Health Director Van Do-Reynoso reported at the Tuesday Board of Supervisors meeting that the county’s COVID-19 metrics have been following the state trends the past two weeks, meaning they’re improving.
She said that county hospitalization rates decreased by 44 percent; medical surge rates decreased by 30 percent; and intensive care unit rates decreased by 71 percent. The past week, the county’s metrics have been in the less-restrictive red and orange zones. The county must remain in the red or better zones for 14 consecutive days to officially move into the red zone — making September 29 the magic date.