Edhat Staff
By edhat staff
New data shows most of the local COVID-19 spikes are due to office spaces as County Supervisors debate closing indoor activities for places of worship.
During Tuesday’s Board of Supervisor’s meeting, Public Health Director Van Do-Reynoso stated contact tracing for the first week of November showed a sharp decline in COVID-19 positive cases within the agricultural community and a drastic increase in clerical/management work.
From March to November, the agricultural industry has consistently been an occupation with a high percentage of disease transmission, but the latest data shows infections within offices are much higher, even outpacing healthcare workers.
Chart showing occupations of COVID-19 positive cases from November 1 through 7.
Do-Reynoso stated her department feels this increase is due to a combination of people telecommuting less and growing comfortable with co-workers and colleagues where they lessen mask-wearing, physical distancing, and disinfecting of workstations.
Alternatively, the decrease in agricultural cases was credited to increased community partnerships and outreach programs.
For the first week of November, the highest infected occupations were office jobs followed by college students, teenagers, and retired/unemployed people. When asked why the high number of retirees and unemployed, Do-Reynoso stated it may be due to discretionary time on their hands.
COVID-19 positive cases by occupation from Nov 1-7 compared to the full pandemic since March
The Church Debate
While discussing the openings and closing of businesses in the purple tier, Supervisor Steve Lavagnino took issue with places of worship being required to close indoor operations while businesses like Costco and Walmart were allowed to remain open.
Do-Reynoso stated that she understood the state’s unease with faith centers is the context of how people gather indoors. Compared to a shopping run, church services generally take longer than 15 minutes and can be several hours, there’s usually singing which can spread particles, and a deeper familiarity with people that leads to a lack of social distancing or face coverings, she said.
There have also been published large-scale outbreaks from church events throughout the state and nation, and Santa Barbara County’s first set of cluster cases was due to an indoor church event, said Do-Reynoso.
Lavagnino persisted and proposed the county write a letter urging the Governor to reconsider places of worship to not be singled out and given the same latitude that Costco and Walmart have within the purple tier.
Supervisor Peter Adam agreed and called the majority of these rules draconian while Supervisor Das Williams hopped on board stating he cannot condone a framework that gives more rights to commercial activities than places of worship.
Chair of the Board, Supervisor Gregg Hart, jumped in and urged supervisors to avoid such a divisive approach and remain respectful of each other’s individual views and approaches to the pandemic.
“We will find ourselves very quickly split and divided and sending letters and posturing on public health matters during what could be the worst phase of this pandemic and I would urge my colleagues to think very carefully about the implications of this decision today,” said Hart.
Lavagnino countered by saying the board has already done that by voting on mask mandates. “Let’s be honest, Governor Newsom is not sitting on the edge of his chair waiting to hear what Supervisor Lavagnino thinks about this.”
“Then why are you proposing this motion?” asked Hart.
“Because I think it’s a symbolic measure of telling people that we respect their ability to go out and worship,” said Lavagnino who stated he can’t see church services being a superspreader event.
In the end, the motion passed 3-2 with only Supervisors Hart and Joan Hartmann voting against it.
Increased Numbers and a Purple Tier
Similar to trends within the state and nation, Santa Barbara County saw a 148% increase in active COVID-19 cases in the past two weeks, said Do-Reynoso.
Every area within the county saw a sharp increase in active cases except for Isla Vista that went from 37 active cases to 13 and Lompoc that went from 25 to 20.
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) issued the county a 7.1 adjusted case rate (up from 4.3 last week) and a 2.7 positivity rate (up from 1.8).
Map of California tier assignments on November 10 (left) and November 16 (right).
Throughout the state, 40 counties moved back into more restrictive tiers with only 18 counties staying the same. There are 41 counties in the most restrictive purple tier, 11 in the red tier, 4 in the orange, and 2 in the yellow.
On Sunday, CDPH noted the average 6,000 daily COVID-19 cases had increased to 11,000 daily cases within just a few days. Governor Newsom announced Monday he is pulling an emergency brake in the Blueprint for a Safer Economy resulting in 94.1 percent of California’s population in the most restrictive tier.
It’s been nearly eight weeks since Santa Barbara County was in the purple tier which requires the closure of most indoor operations. Retail can remain open indoors but at only 25% capacity where all dining, gyms, and theatres must operate outdoor only.
Do-Reynoso stated there may be additional guidelines from the state that could include a 10:00 p.m. curfew advisory requiring businesses to close at a certain time and revisions to restaurants and capacity at essential businesses.
School Operations & Vaccine Planning
Do-Reynoso confirmed this emergency brake pulled by the Governor does not alter state guidelines governing school reopenings.
Schools that are already opened may remain open as long as they follow CDPH guidance. Schools who have not reopened may provide in-person instruction under the elementary school waiver process, or through small cohorts. Otherwise, schools may not reopen for in-person instruction until the county has remained in the substantial red tier for two weeks.
The county has a plan developed with CDPH and local partners on how to prepare and administer a COVID-19 vaccine.
There is currently a workgroup with members who include hospitals/clinics, Public Health Department, fire agencies, community health centers, the county joint infomation center, UCSB, residential care facilities, pharmacies, Vandenberg Air Force Base, and more.
The objective is to coordinate and share information between Public Health and partners on how to provide vaccinations as well as campaigns to get accurate and timely information to the public.
A presentation on this group’s progress will take place at the Board of Supervisors meeting on December 8.
Oh Lord. Lavagnino can’t be serious. People in church hug, sing, hold hands, embrace, drink from the same goblet, chant and more. I’ve never seen this done at Costco.
Churches are proven to be super spreader events. Costcos and Walmarts are not. Lavagnino needs to get off his holy soapbox. My gym is my church, can we also get a strongly written letter to the Governor about how I need to worship at thy elliptical?
Kids can’t attend public schools, but people can worship their idols in the temples of superstition. Our priorities are all f****d up.
We’re not living in the 1700s any longer, folks. Let’s get real.
Quit your whining. Just be an obedient global citizen. NOT. Kiss my a** big government.
No kidding. Anyone else remember when “north county” (Santa Maria) tried to secede from Santa Barbara county? Hmm. Let’s revive their effort.
Jesus isn’t going to save you if you don’t wear a mask, socially distance, and not gather in groups.
@6:22 you obliviously haven’t been to a church/temple/mosque/bar in a long time, probably since well before the pandemic. Just like there are ways to go back to work safely, go back to school safely, go back to a barber safely, there are ways to go back to our places of worship safely. How easily so many have thrown out other peoples right to worship, the freedom to practice their religion, scares me more than Covid-19.
I can’t believe it has taken this long but it is great to read common sense is starting to gain traction with our local leaders.
Arguing with faith based people really doesn’t get you anywhere. Muslims, hindus, buddhists, protestants, catholics, mormons, evangelicals- they all seem to be willing to defend their particular faith above all others. In the meantime, what kind of world has it gotten us? How many kids live in poverty and go to bed hungry each night? If there are aliens, they have probably posted a big warning sign above the earth telling everyone to beware the humans.
Religion conditions people to believe things for which there is no evidence. That is, facts don’t matter. We see all around us where thinking like that gets you. Science flies us to the moon. Religion flies us into buildings.
@Bumblebee “This is no way to handle a pandemic.”. UNDERSTATEMENT OF THE CENTURUY
@12:33 I’m glad you bring that up, not pushing views on others. Such a hypocrite! What you’ve been pushing for with continued lockdowns and restrictive measures is destroying lives and livelihoods. Andrea isn’t pushing anything on anyone, let her be, let everyone else be, mind your own businesses and if you choose stay home until there is a vaccine go for it, stop pushing your views onto others.
As 1:45 demonstrates, facts don’t matter.
@ 1:32. Facts now matter?
FACT: If you are under 50, seasonal influenza is more deadly than Covid-19. FACT: More children have died from influenza in 2020 than Covid-19.
FACT: There have been 299,028 excess deaths in 2020 through October 3rd, of those, 198,081 have been attributed to Covid-19.
For every 2 people that have died from covid 1 has died from our response to covid. These restrictions and lockdowns have very real life consequences that most people are intentionally ignoring. FACTS NOT FEAR! (all FACTS from CDC.gov)
I wonder how many of these Supervisors actually even go to church? for them, it may not seem like a need to have unlike their cannabis shops which they whole heartedly approve of
we are now past March- move on
2:01 – So, you’re saying 125,000 people have died from being asked to wear masks and physically distance? Patently absurd, and not shown anywhere in the CDC datasets. Because that’s all we’ve really done. We haven’t had anything close to a lockdown in this country.
The death total from COVID is currently 250,000. It’s pretty ridiculous to use statistics from over a month ago with a fast-moving pandemic like this. But, you have your fact-free narrative to support, so it’s to be expected.
seriously @2:42? Being asked to wear masks and physically distance is killing people? That is your takeaway from my post?
Mac, those are pulled right from the CDC website, so not sure what fact-free narrative you think I support. The study on excess deaths just came out but was based on statistics through October 3rd. Fact are still facts if they don’t support your position.
2:50 : Since we’ve had no lockdowns, that’s exactly what you’re saying. And your imputing excess deaths to your mythical lockdowns is faulty, too. The excess deaths, as the CDC directly states, are most likely due to COVID, but not reflected in the death certificates.
The fact-free narrative you support is that the feeble attempts we’ve made to control the pandemic are killing people almost as much as the virus is, which is total BS, and not supported by any data. It’s part of your social media driven idea that everything should be open and the pandemic should be allowed to run rampant because of the fallacies they promote that the virus has become less deadly and people are committing suicide in droves. It’s nonsense from an alternate universe, and it’s dangerous.
Two or three may gather in his name on a Zoom meeting.
If you were actually motivated by concerns about saving lives, instead of crying economically and politically motivated crocodile tears, what you would advocate for, based on the science of epidemiology, would be a stringent lockdown for a period of two months, coupled with a generous government economic support package like the HEROES Act. With the inadequate and fragmented policies we now have, magnified by the lack of compliance driven by social media disinformation, we are letting the virus kill both the economy and people in a way that has a much more lasting impact.
Mac, no where did I ever say “the pandemic should be allowed to run rampant”. I keep providing facts from the CDC, you keep saying I’m “fact-free”.
you suck!
Our political leaders in California (and many other states) aren’t adhering to the same rules they’re imposing on the rest of us, rules that are supposed to be “for our safety”. If covid was so dangerous that politicians feel the need to make these draconian rules, rules that violate our state constitution (per recent court ruling), rules that violate our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness (a tenant of the Declaration of Independence!) yet at the same time disregard those rules, how can you still follow them? If covid was so dangerous as to require such extreme measures you’d think the people enacting those measures would follow them? They have all the data and science so they would know best, but they see the data and science and it tells them its safe for them to skirt the rules they themselves imposed. I hope that posters here aren’t reflective of our greater community; it is despicable what you’re forcing upon others, which destroy other peoples lives, families and mental well being, with nothing to back up that it actually prevents the spread of covid. If California wasn’t spiking and the restrictions were actually working, that would be great, we’ve solved covid. But it isn’t working! You are free to stay in your home the rest of your life, I hope that many posters here do exactly that. It is not neighborly, it is not American, and it is simply not right for you to force others to abandon their businesses, to lose their homes and jobs, to see their kids mentally regress, to not see their family, friends, or worship how they see fit, all while pretending your doing it out of a place of virtue for the greater good. You’re being selfish.
Lemming logic. Just because someone unwisely breaks protocol, it’s OK for everyone else?
All you provide are misinterpretations of CDC data, advocating for policies that let the virus run rampant. Because there are so many numbskulls behaving in the way you propose, the virus *is* running rampant.
So fact-free evolved to misrepresentations. The virus is running rampant everywhere; it’s doing it where there are heavy restrictions AND where there are no restrictions. Why politicians think they can control a virus, and why so many people follow them, baffles me. Politicians should be providing leadership and support for individuals to make decisions based on what is best for them and their families.
Misrepresenting facts is very much fact-free when you base your conclusions on the misrepresentations. And the virus is not running rampant in countries that have effective protocols in place – most of Asia, Australia, Nordic countries except Sweden, for example. Politicians in power in our federal government are not listening to the epidemiologists. In fact they seem to be listening only to the voices in their heads and delusional twitter tweeters – that’s why the virus is out of control.
Fully support this. They would be in a deficit from the 1st day, and would have to close their new prison. Tired of supporting North County.
VOR, there are ways, but they are not following them. The evangelical services they show have people packed in, no masks, and singing and praising away. Are you saying that other denominations are socially distancing and praying quietly? I’m okay with letting Darwin fight it out with Jesus, but I wish they would stay away from me.
Maybe ag workers have reached herd immunity levels? Are there numbers on that?
It’s a social community building thing.
Jesus has nothing to do with the California governor. Governors of other states are closing their non-taxable mind control institutions.
@6:24 our churches in Santa Barbara have NOT been super spreader events. How people have behaved in other cities/state/countries is not how we’re acting here in SB. If you want to look elsewhere for examples look at Sweden, they kicked our a*s in how they handled the virus and now they’re solid and unrestricted while the rest of Europe spikes. Look at Florida, they removed all restrictions over a month ago yet here in restrictive CA daily cases have increased the same amount or more than as Florida. If our restrictions are working shouldn’t daily cases be increasing much slower than Florida where there are no restrictions? If not, why are we doubling down on something that isn’t working? We don’t need blanket rules from politicians who don’t live in our communities who don’t even follow their own rules. At this point in the pandemic we’re perfectly capable of determining what’s best for our own communities. It is not the governments job to make decisions for us, it’s the governments job provide guidance and support to enable us to make our own decisions.
The faith centers can reopen indoors when they pay taxes.
Bro, did you not read the article? The Public Health Director said herself the first instance of cluster cases in the county were due to indoor church services.
Which church service is this? Because the service that I go to is outdoors and there are squares marked where people can sit and we are required to wear masks. There are no more than 30 people and no hugging.
@9:06, March/April was a long time ago. We’ve come a long way since then; not only has covid become considerably less deadly, everyone has changed how they behave, their hygiene practices, how they socialize, eat, shop, worship, etc. To many are stuck in the mindset we had in spring, millions of California’s will not die. If you want to lockdown till the virus is gone that is your personal choice and not one that can or should be imposed on others.
That is how it should be 9:08, each community and individual makes their own decisions. Had all these restrictions actually worked in a measurable way that would be one thing, but they didn’t and the virus has proven time and time again it is going to spread regardless of what the government says can and can’t be open.
I love how these clearly non-church goers like to comment as if they know something about church. Our church has been super careful – outside events, masks, distancing and not drinking from the same “goblet” [what a weird comment]. The did ONE inside event with very few people, masks and major distancing. Now, they are VOLUNTARILY taking people’s temperatures for OUTSIDE ONLY events, to assuage fears as there are older folks who attend. So, unless you are a church goer or believe in God please keep your comments to yourself, unless you know what you are talking about.
EHDAT, it’s not about God requiring anything. It’s community, togetherness. Also, if you are sincerely questioning, please see the following which maybe will answer your question: Matthew 18:20: “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
GENERAL TREE, Jesus already did save us – including you. He died for our sins. Also, most people going to Church around here are following protocols. Just because a minority are doing dumb crap and not respecting the lives of others doesn’t speak to all churches.
LOOSECANNON I think ppl can learn more about life, in church, than in school anyway sometimes. And if ppl are teaching their kids that there is no God or any higher power then, in my opinion all the education in the world isn’t going to help them anyway.
Andrea, you clearly have never been to a Catholic church service. Yes, parishioners drink from the same cup and the priest gives it a measly wipe with a cloth as if that will clear away the germs. They haven’t done this since COVID at my church but wouldn’t be surprised if some still do in the name of God. Also, they are usually ornate looking goblets, something out of Indiana Jone’s and the Last Crusade. Typical Catholic Church with its glitz and glamor.
Andrea keep your indoctrination to yourself. Not everyone believes in Jesus, and not all religious praise him or push their views onto others.
Way to go BOS! Good job with push back ,enough of the overreach. Wish they would give that push back to the teachers union. Glad you defended people’s right for Chruch worshop in doors. They are taking all precautions and should have the same rights as all the schools that remain open. All private and other school districts execept our horribly mismannaged Santa Barbara School District under the control of teacher’s union are fully open and will remain open even with this teir change. Even our Governor himself has enrolled his kids in private schools!
Such a shame Gavin Newsom is a loss cause then…hope he enjoyed his $5000 dollar dinner at the French Laundry in Napa…What did he say “I should have stood up and … drove back to my house…The spirit of what I’m preaching all the time was contradicted,” he said. “ I need to preach and practice, not just preach.”