Students in the Santa Barbara Unified School District are attending classes without mandatory masking for the first time in nearly two years, as California joins a small group of states beginning to lift restrictions due to a steep drop in COVID-19 cases.
The district has moved from required masking to recommended masking, and the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department continues to strongly recommend masking indoors for any student or staff with high risk factors, including living with family members over the age of 85, or with chronic illnesses. Dr. Van Do-Reynoso, Public Director of County Health, said vaccinations are also highly recommended, due to the low vaccination rate among school-age children. Less than 50 percent of children ages 5-11, and less than 70 percent of students ages 12-15, are fully vaccinated.
In the most recent data provided by the district, about 2 percent of students tested positive between February 7 and 13, about 57 out of 3,600 students. Between February 28 and March 6, less than one percent of students tested positive, with only four out of 1,300 testing positive. Among staff members, six out of 283 tested positive between February 7 and 13, and two out of 154 tested positive between February 28 and March 6.