Santa Barbara County Public Health officials say the new COVID-19 case rate continues to drop, but not enough for the county to end its indoor mask mandate.
The county’s order was set to expire, but it’s now been extended until at least December 4th.
The county is reporting a positive case rate of 10 per 100,000 people. County officials say the rate needs to drop to six cases or lower per 100,000 for at least two weeks before they can consider dropping the order.
Public Health officials say with the holidays coming, and so many people indoors, there is the potential for significant increases in cases and hospitalizations. They say masking continues to be an important tool in prevention. Ventura and San Luis Obispo County also have their requirements in place still for indoor masking in public places.