Santa Barbara County Public Health Officials Recommend Masking This Holiday Season
With Winter Viruses Circulating at Higher Rates Than Usual, Public Health Tells Residents To Take Precautions
With holiday festivities come winter viruses, and the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department (PHD) is encouraging residents to once again break out their masks.
Cases of COVID-19, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and the flu impacted Californians earlier than usual this year and have been on the rise since the beginning of December. Public Health officials are recommending residents to get vaccinated against influenza and COVID, including the new bivalent booster, if they have not already, in order to be better protected against more severe illness, hospitalization, and death from these viruses.
“The PHD is strongly recommending to wear a high-quality mask in public indoor settings, like public transportation, stores, offices, etc,” said Henning Ansorg, the county’s public health officer. “This will reduce the risk of catching any of the circulating winter virus illnesses.”
