••• “As of Monday at 2:40 p.m., there were 128 tests used within Santa Barbara County to detect Covid-19 in specific patients. Of those tests, there was 1 positive as mentioned above, 31 negatives, and 96 are currently pending. [Santa Barbara County Public Health Department Director Dr. Van] Do-Reynoso stated these numbers are underreported as they’re still waiting for data from one hospital and two private labs.” —Edhat
••• “Councilmember Mike Jordan provided Newsmakers his just-the-facts notes about the briefing” to city administrators and managers by county public health officials. The most interesting part:
Local testing is being done on a (priority) TIER basis—highest priority (T1) is long term care, congregate living, shelters, health care workers, hospitalized, nursing homes, hospital and EMS populations. Local T1 labs are in Ventura and SLO, and 23 total tests can be performed daily, largely due to the time it takes the equipment to process the test, 5 hours, hence the prioritizing.
T2 population- higher risk like age and health challenges—tests are going to commercial labs and results time is 3 – 6 days. Lab testing supplies are still in a less than abundant supply but more are coming.
T3 is characterized as general population and is available “as available,” but there is currently no capacity. People who are or feel ill are advised to stay at home as if they (have) a positive test.
••• “The Santa Barbara Zoo announced they will be closing in order to help protect the community, their staff and the animals from the spread of the coronavirus. The closure will begin Tuesday, March 17, and will go until May 10.” —KEYT
••• “Chumash Casino Resort closed through end of March due to coronavirus.” Realistically, it’s going to be closed a lot longer than that. —Santa Barbara News-Press
••• “Debris nets in three Montecito creeks will be in place at least through the rest of 2020, since the Santa Barbara County Planning and Development Department issued a second emergency permit in December.” —Noozhawk
••• Edhat‘s Tree of the Month is the Moreton Bay Fig: “Santa Barbara’s most famous tree is the Moreton Bay Fig tree located on the grounds of our historic train station. This huge tree has been recognized throughout most of its life as the largest of its kind in the continental United States. One in Glendora recently surpassed it in height, but our tree, 75 feet tall, still has the widest branch spread—over 175 feet! […] It is now certainly over 144 years old and is still healthy for its age, and growing.”
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