- The Medical Director of Infection Prevention & Control for Cottage Health delivered an urgent message to the Santa Barbara County community ahead of Fourth of July weekend, as local coronavirus cases rise.

David Fisk, who is an infectious disease physician for Cottage Health and Sansum Clinic, says the county is seeing a "very dramatic increase" in COVID-19 circulating in the community.

“There is much more risk of acquiring this virus, as of today, than there has been at any point since the onset of this epidemic in Santa Barbara.

And we anticipate that risk to increase in the coming weeks… So we strongly encourage people to take social distancing very, very seriously at this time.”.

Fisk says hospital bed capacity at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital is "very good" at this time, and that the hospital is not currently seeing supply shortages as it did this spring.

"So if we wear a mask, it protects those of us in our community who have increased health risk, weakened immune systems, but also provides us some level of protection.".

Fisk says areas like beaches can promote social activity and gathering, but that the real risk this weekend is gatherings of people anywhere.