The San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department on Tuesday confirmed that six people have now tested positive for novel coronavirus in the county.
At a media briefing Tuesday afternoon, Health Officer Dr. Penny Borenstein said she anticipates that number will continue to rise.
Of the six cases, three of the patients are from North County, two are from South County, and one lives along the coast.
Dr. Borenstein said one of the new cases is a resident who traveled internationally to a country with significant spread of COVID-19. Another patient had direct contact with someone from outside of SLO County who has also tested positive for the virus.
All of the patients are in isolation at home and are improving, according to health officials.
Dr. Borenstein said the county has performed 200 tests to date and anticipates doing another 50 tests on Tuesday; however, their testing capacity has been limited because of a lack of extraction reagents.
County Administrative Officer Wade Horton said the county is working on an order to limit evictions during this time based on guidelines issued by Governor Gavin Newsom.
Dr. Borenstein added that in addition to urging bars and wineries to close, the county is now also asking that restaurants with seating also close their doors. Drive-throughs, deliveries, and take out services are exempt.
Residents can find more information about the county's coronavirus response at readyslo.org. For information via the Public Health Information Line, call (805 788-2903. To speak with someone directly, call the Phone Assistance Center at (805) 543-2444.