Coronavirus updates: San Luis Coastal school district to remain online, meet SLO County’s public health officer
San Luis Obispo County added 46 coronavirus cases Thursday, according to ReadySLO.org.
As of Thursday, there were 425 active COVID-19 patients in San Luis Obispo County, a record high. Public health officer Dr. Penny Borenstein is the county’s response to the pandemic.
As the coronavirus outbreak continues, several people are still struggling to receive unemployment assistance and more schools are opting for online classes.
Here are your local updates for Friday:
San Luis Coastal school district settles on plan for fall learning
The San Luis Coastal Unified School District will use a distance learning education model through the winter, requiring online-only classes until January, the district’s board decided on Thursday.
The district — which includes about 7,500 students in schools in San Luis Obispo, Los Osos and Morro Bay — had planned to allow students to attend classes in person, at least part of the time, if a countywide threshold of coronavirus cases was not exceeded.
But with cases surging and the county placed on a California watch list, San Luis Coastal board members felt the safest option would be to keep students and teachers home during the start of the school year.
Unemployed in SLO County: Laid-off mother still can’t get help
Access to unemployment benefits remains a persistent challenge in San Luis Obispo County and across the state with the jobless rate still in double digits.
And some people, like Gabrielle Saunders is a single mother in Nipomo who was laid off from her administrative assistant job in April, are still waiting for unemployement assistance.
San Luis Obispo County officials reported an unemployment rate of 12.7% in May, an improvement from 14% in April.
That totaled 16,400 people out of work versus 18,700 in April, according to the latest state data. San Luis Obispo County’s unemployment levels were the 15th lowest in the state in May.
Meet SLO County’s public health officer
Dr. Penny Borenstein has become a household name in San Luis Obispo County
She has been tasked helping guide the county through an unrelenting virus that has touched nearly every aspect of life locally since mid-March.
As the county’s top public health official, Borenstein juggles family life, policy decisions and the latest science developments..
Borenstein has quickly become “the most important person in the county,” according to one San Luis Obispo city administrator.
Vina Robles Amphitheatre reschedules 2020 concerts due to COVID-19
Vina Robles Amphitheatre in Paso Robles postponed most of its upcoming music concerts and comedy shows until next year due to coronavirus, according to a news release.
The concert cancellations come more than a month after organizers canceled the California Mid-State Fair in Paso Robles due to COVID-19 concerns.
Purchased tickets will be honored on the rescheduled dates, concert promoter Nederlander Concerts said. “Refunds for canceled shows will be distributed directly to patrons via point of purchase,” the release said.
Rite Aid adds two local coronavirus testing sites
In partnership with the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, Rite Aid is now testing at 258 locations across San Luis Obispo County, adding 161 this week, including two on the Central Coast.
Participating Rite Aid locations now include those at 7025 El Camino Real in Atascadero and 2405 South Broadway in Santa Maria.
The testing sites use self-swab coronavirus nasal tests for people with or without symptoms, according to the release.
To schedule a test appointment, visit www.riteaid.com. Sites will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the weekends.
This story was originally published July 17, 2020 at 9:57 AM.
