Unpredictable state mandates and soaring COVID-19 cases have thrown many Santa Barbara County residents into a state of fear and confusion in recent weeks, but Public Health Director Van Do-Reynoso painted a clearer picture of the situation Tuesday.
“If we are to continue to reopen as a county, then behavior must change,” Do-Reynoso said at the Board of Supervisors hearing. “That behavior change will be seen in our disease metrics and later in our hospitalization rate and capacity.”
She reported a 49 percent increase in cases over the past two weeks countywide. Santa Maria, the county’s largest hotspot for the virus, had an 84 percent increase in the same time period. The City of Santa Barbara had a 115 percent increase.