Ventura, SLO counties reopening faster than Santa Barbara County
San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties are moving along with reopening but they’re leaving Santa Barbara County behind.
Both SLO and Ventura counties announced they’re proceeding into the next stage of reopening, which include allowing personal care services to resume.
Those businesses were be able to reopen on June 19, as long as the service can be provided without the customer having to take off their mask. Ventura County also has a 30-minute limit on procedures and massages conducted in confined spaces.
Weddings in SLO and Ventura counties are also able to resume. Under state guidelines, outdoor weddings can have up to 100 people present who are physically distancing themselves from each other, depending on the size of the venue. Indoor wedding venues can have up to 100 people or 25 percent of their capacity, whichever is smaller. And next in line for Ventura County is movie theaters, which will be allowed to reopen June 26.
Meanwhile, Santa Barbara County has put a pause in its reopening plans. The county attributed its decision to recent upticks in both positive case numbers and hospitalizations.
“Out of an abundance of caution and for the safety of all community members, particularly our most vulnerable, Public Health leadership has decided to hold on further reopening,” said Dr. Henning Ansorg, Santa Barbara County’s public health officer, in a news release. “We urge all residents to take this time to evaluate how they can limit their exposure to people outside their homes. This virus will continue to spread unless we take action to stop it.”
Santa Barbara County expects to give another update regarding reopening in a week.
SLO County’s public health officer, Dr. Penny Borenstein, didn’t give a recommended time limit for businesses, but she did discourage people from being in tight, enclosed spaces with people outside their households for extended periods of time.
“That is the perfect environment for COVID-19 to spread,” Borenstein said at a news conference June 17. “Be smart. Take care of your health. Understand that this illness spreads through prolonged close physical contact.”
• Contact Amber Hair at ahair@pacbiztimes.com.
