S.B. Is Not SoCal

Open Letter to Governor Newsom:

Thank you very much for revising this latest COVID plan to be based on intensive-care-unit bed capacity, instead of case numbers. But I believe it is a wrong and detrimental decision for you to place Santa Barbara County in a region that includes Los Angeles County all the way down through San Diego County. Population density could not be more different in our county and area, versus down to the south.

As of Thursday morning, December 3, 43 percent of COVID beds were still available in our county hospitals, and only nine beds being used for ICU COVID patients. In the whole county! And during the entire pandemic, occupancy has never exceeded 69 percent in the ICU in our county.

To lump us in with areas that will certainly trigger a shutdown is not only troublesome, it is irrational. Hundreds of businesses and thousands of livelihoods are on the chopping block because of this decision.

To be clear, I don’t want to endanger our elderly and immune compromised population, COVID is terrible, and I understand the need for precautions. But this decision is just plain faulty, and I’m encouraging others to write your office in protest.