Ventura County has joined Santa Barbara County in opening the doors for some schools to resume in-person classes. The county will begin accepting waiver requests from K-through-6th grade schools. If county health officials feel the schools can meet stringent testing and safety requirements, they will be allowed to reopen.
Meanwhile, there’s mixed news in the battle against coronavirus on the Central and South Coasts. The number of new cases in Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo Counties remained low Wednesday, with 89 reported.
Ventura County added 54, Santa Barbara County 27, and San Luis Obispo County eight. The region’s total is just under 19,500, with most of those who were positive already recovered.
But, three additional coronavirus related deaths reported Wednesday pushed the total to 200. There was one each in Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo Counties. More than two thirds of them were older adults with preexisting health conditions.