Coronavirus updates: Field of Light at Sensorio reopening, Fourth of July art show canceled
San Luis Obispo County added seven new coronavirus cases Tuesday, bringing the total number of residents who have tested positive for COVID-19 to 278, according to ReadySLO.org.
As San Luis Obispo County reopens, new free testing locations will open next week.
And a local restaurant is celebrating graduating high school seniors with free food.
Here are your local updates for Tuesday:
Field of Light at Sensorio to reopen after coronavirus closure
The Field of Light at Sensorio is reopening June 12 after a three-month closure due to COVID-19.
The popular Paso Robles art installation closed in March to comply with social distancing regulations. It originally planned to reopen in mid-April but has remained closed as the coronavirus pandemic has continued.
However, Sensorio will operate a little differently moving forward to comply with new health guidelines.
The installation, located at 4380 Highway 46 East in Paso Robles, will be open from June 12 to January 3.
Tickets will be available starting at 9 a.m. Wednesday, according tot the release.
Morro Bay Art in the Park canceled due to COVID-19
A Morro Bay Art in the Park event scheduled for the Fourth of July weekend has been cancled due to social distancing guidelines.
The event, originally scheduled for July 3, 4 and 5, may be pushed to the weekend of September 5, 6 and 7, according to a news release.
According to the release, organizers are waiting for guidelines from the state or county regarding public gatherings.
Organizers previously canceled a Morro Bay Art in the Park event scheduled for Memorial Day weekend.
SLO County adds 7 new coronavirus cases
San Luis Obispo County added seven coronavirus cases on Tuesday — bringing the total number of local residents who have tested positive for COVID-19 since March to 278, according to ReadySLO.org.
This is the first time since May 11 that the county has reported a single-day increase of more than five cases. The highest single-day increase was 14 cases on March 24.
Of the 278 local residents who’ve tested positive for COVID-19, 256 have completely recovered from the illness.
Seventeen people are still recovering at home. And four patients are receiving hospital treatment, with three in intensive care units.
One local resident has died from COVID-19.
A fourth Lompoc federal prison inmate has died from COVID-19
On Monday, the U.S. Bureau of Prisons announced that a 56-year-old inmate, Daniel Lee Vadnais, had died from COVID-19, bringing the total number of Lompoc federal correctional complex inmate deaths from the virus to four.
Ten more people tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday, according to the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department, and an additional death was reported by the Bureau of Prisons.
In total, 1,669 people in Santa Barbara County have tested positive for the virus as of Monday.
Vadnais’ death is the 14th COVID-19-related death reported in the county.
Parking lots reopen at Central Coast state beaches, parks
California State Parks has reopened about half of the parking lots at its 280 locations after closing them to vehicle access to encourage social distancing guidelines during the coronavirus pandemic, the Monterey Herald reported.
While parking lots at state parks in San Luis Obispo County remain closed, many state parks and beaches in Monterey County and Santa Barbara County are now accessible by vehicle.
In Monterey County, vehicles can now access Fremont Peak State Park, Asilomar State Beach, Carmel River Stat Part, Marina State Beach, Salinas River Stat Beach, Moss Landing State Beach and Fort Ord Dunes State Park, according to State Parks.
Andrew Molera State Park and Limekiln State Park parking lots are now open in Big Sur.
In Santa Barbara County, parking lots have reopened for El Capitan State Beach, Gaviota State Beach, Refugio State Beach and La Purisima State Historic Park.
Sylvester’s Burgers gives free food to graduating seniors
The coronavirus pandemic has canceled all traditional high school graduation ceremonies, but a local burger chain still wants to make sure graduating seniors are honored for their accomplishments.
Sylvester’s Burgers restaurants in Atascadero, Los Osos and Oceano are offering free burgers to graduating high school seniors, , according to a news release.
The free burger offer will run June 4 to June 11, according to the release.
How and when the SLO farmers market will reopen
Plans to reopen the downtown San Luis Obispo farmers market in a limited form are in progress, though the market still must await approval from the state before any definite timeline is known.
While other farmers markets are operating in the county, the event has been indefinitely suspended because of its larger crowd size and street fair nature, Bettina Swigger, Downtown SLO’s CEO said.
Swigger said that planning includes spacing vendor booths farther apart and providing additional resources such as hand sanitizer and hand-washing stations.
Free coronavirus testing comes to SLO, Los Osos and Cambria
Free state-run coronavirus testing will be moving from Paso Robles, which will remain operating until Friday to San Luis Obispo starting June 8. Services will soon be offered at the Veterans Memorial Hall, 801 Grand Ave. in San Luis Obispo, on weekdays between 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
County pop-up testing will take place at the Veterans Memorial Building, 1000 Main St. in Cambria, between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Tuesday.
The Red Barn, 2180 Palisades Avenue in Los Osos, will host free testing at 9 a.m. on Wednesday and Thursday.
For more information, including registration, go to https://www.emergencyslo.org/en/testing-locations.aspx.
This story was originally published June 2, 2020 at 11:30 AM.
