Coronavirus updates: SLO County adds 11 cases, Paso Robles music festival canceled
San Luis Obispo County has now had 453 cases of coronavirus — adding 11 new cases Tuesday.
As businesses and activities including zoos and campgrounds continue to reopen, San Luis Obispo County public health officer Dr. Penny Borenstein said cases are expected to continue to rise.
In Santa Barbara County, two more residents have died from the virus.
Here are your local updates for Tuesday:
SLO County adds 11 new coronavirus cases
San Luis Obispo County added 11 new cases of coronavirus Tuesday, bringing to the total number of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 since March to 453, according to ReadySLO.org.
Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo and Pismo Beach each added one new case. Nipomo added three new cases and Arroyo Grande added two.
Three of the new cases are in areas with less than five reported cases.
Over the weekend, SLO County’s case count increased by 38, with 24 new cases reported Saturday, three on Sunday and 11 on Monday.
Paso Robles music festival postponed due to COVID-19
The Whale Rock Music & Arts Festival in Paso Robles has been canceled in 2020 due to coronavirus concerns.
Organizers made the decision to postponed the music festival, originally scheduled for Sept. 19 and 20, 2020, “after careful consideration and communications with our state and local authorities,” according to a news release.
The two-day event will now take place Sept. 18 to 19, 2021.
“We will certainly miss you all this year but look forward to coming together, stronger than ever in 2021,” organizers said in the release. “Even though the festival will not take place in person this year, we promise to keep the Whale Rock spirit alive!”
Whale Rock ticket holders can keep their tickets to use in 2021 or can email bowmanevent@gmail.com by July 1 for a full refund.
Santa Barbara Zoo reopens after coronavirus closure
The Santa Barbara Zoo reopened on Tuesday after months of being closed by the COVID-19 crisis.
Online reservations for visitors are required to limit the number of people at the zoo at 500 Niños Drive.
Visitors can expect a one-way route through the zoo and some features will be closed, according to the zoo.
In the months since visitors were last welcomed at the zoo, several new animals have arrived.
Santa Barbara County reports 2 more COVID-19 deaths
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office reported Monday that two additional Main Jail employees had tested positive for COVID-19, for a total of 15 in the last week.
The announcement came the same day the county Public Health Department reported two new COVID-19 deaths.
The Public Health Department said two more Santa Maria city residents have died of COVID-19, including one person connected to the Country Oaks Care Center outbreak.
Outbreaks in the Country Oaks Care Center skilled nursing facility in Santa Maria and the Lompoc federal correctional complex account for 13 of the county’s 28 total COVID-19 deaths as of Monday, according to the county Public Health Department and the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
Santa Barbara County’s Public Health Department also reported an additional 26 positive novel coronavirus cases on Monday, bringing the county’s total to 2,446.
SLO and Paso Robles bring restaurant dining outdoors
The cities of San Luis Obispo and Paso Robles are trying out outdoor dining experiences to keep patrons safe during the coronavirus pandemic and help businesses as they begin to reopen.
Under the Open SLO program, segments of Monterey and Higuera streets will be temporarily closed to car traffic.
Mission Plaza and Monterey Street from Chorro to Osos streets are closed to vehicles from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
Higuera Street from Osos to Nipomo streets will close weekly to car traffic from 5 to 8 p.m. Fridays and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
In Paso Robles, community tables are available for outdoor dining in a cordoned-off area of Downtown City Park.
Downtown City Park dining is available Thursdays through Sundays, beginning at 5:30 p.m.
Local campgrounds, beachside parking areas reopen
State and San Luis Obispo County parks recently reopened some beachside parking areas, such as the Cayucos Pier and parking spaces nearby, and expanded the number of local residents who can camp in county-run campgrounds.
County regulators closed the parking areas to discourage visitors from traveling to San Luis Obispo County from outside the area to help slow the spread of the new coronavirus.
The Lopez Lake, Santa Margarita Lake, Oceano and Coastal Dunes campgrounds can now operate at full capacity, according to Nick Franco, parks director for San Luis Obispo County.
Hearst Castle remains closed and there’s no opening date scheduled, according to Dan Falat, superintendent of the State Parks district that includes the San Simeon estate.
