With the recent surge of COVID 19 shutting down State Street, I find it baffling that every day this week I’ve witnessed sports practices at Santa Barbara High School. Players not only were crowded together but also not wearing masks. As I walked by Thursday afternoon, an entire baseball team was huddled in the batting cages — most with no mask on, or if it was, hanging beneath their nose or chins.
Now this might sound a bit like a gripe, but all community members are being asked to do their part right now to ensure the safety and well-being of our citizens and reduce the rate of transmission. It does not sit well that people are losing their economic livelihood, but coaches are not enforcing the safety guideline regulations for the sake of their athlete’s comfort while practicing. Given that these are large gathering, with students from dozens of households, we must ensure masks are worn whenever social distance cannot be effectively practiced.
The only way to get to restore our local businesses is by working together — athletes included.