Two additional coronavirus related deaths have been reported on the Central and South Coasts. Both new deaths were in Santa Barbara County.
The death toll continues to mount, with the region now at 257 deaths as of Friday. The total includes 129 deaths in Ventura County, 105 in Santa Barbara County, and 23 in San Luis Obispo County. Most deaths were older adults with pre-existing health conditions.
167 additional coronavirus cases have been reported in the three counties. There are 109 in Ventura County, 30 in Santa Barbara County, and 28 in San Luis Obispo County. All three counties remain at the purple level, the highest tier from full reopening, because they are failing to exceed numbers for new cases allowed.
Santa Barbara County Supervisor Gregg Hart says based on the number of new cases reported in the last week, it's still too soon to predict when the county will be able to meet the rules to move to the more liberal red tier.
Meanwhile, a crunch on testing availability in Santa Barbara County has eased. State run testing sites in Goleta, Buellton, and Santa Maria are now available to everyone by appointment.
