••• “After days-long pushback from Santa Barbara and other counties, the state folded, announcing it would lower the bar on the requirements needed to more quickly reopen businesses. […] The most significant win from the public health negotiation is the state’s separation of community Covid-19 cases from the inmate cases at the Lompoc Federal Prison, which accounts for nearly 70 percent of the county’s total positive cases.” —Independent
••• “The governor also gave great hope to the haircut-needing public when he said the opening of hair salons and even spectator-free sporting events could come as soon as the first week in June in some areas. ‘We’re within a window of a few weeks,’ Newsom said Monday of salons.” —L.A. Times
••• “San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties meet the new rules Gov. Gavin Newsom released May 18 for when counties are ready to reopen but Santa Barbara County does not.” The word on the street is that the county is going to loosen some restrictions tomorrow. Stay tuned…. —Pacific Coast Business Times
••• “Supervisor Das Williams said the county has received word that it can move forward with reopening phases if certain health care, sanitation and spacing rules are met. […] The county is worried that a second wave of the Covid-19 outbreak could be looming if many people, ranging from tourists to students, reenter the area without any understanding of their testing, or potential to carry the virus. The county says as it reopens there will be a close watch of the numbers to see if there is an upward trend for infections, admissions into hospitals and deaths. That will also include facility capacity, personnel available to handle the cases and the trace and track methods to know who has been in contacted with an infected person.” —KEYT
••• “Carpinteria City Council votes in favor of requiring face coverings at certain locations in response to Covid-19 pandemic […] Those places include essential or lower-risk business and any public setting in which it is hard to properly physical distance from others.” The cities of Santa Barbara and Goleta have passed similar measures, but the county has not. —KEYT
••• “Santa Barbara’s annual Fourth of July fireworks celebration fizzled out Monday, the latest casualty of the Covid-19 pandemic.” —Noozhawk (photo courtesy Visit Santa Barbara)
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