On a drive along San Andreas Road, Reach Road and Riverside Drive this morning I noticed more field workers harvesting and grooming fields that I’ve seen in a while. I noticed they were wearing masks and gloves.
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An early morning fire tore through Master Car Wash in Capitola early Thursday morning. Fire Marshal Mike DeMars said Capitola Police happened upon the scene at around 2:30 a.m. When Central, Aptos/La Selva and Santa Cruz firefighters arrived the fire had fully engulfed the main body of the store, waiting room and machine room at 2110 41st Ave. The fire was so well involved that firefighters pulled back and went into defensive mode and concentrated on saving surrounding property. No injuries were reported and the cause is still under investigation. The actual car wash structure sustained minor damage, DeMars said.
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Officials looking into the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak have said that the first death in the U.S. was on Feb. 6 and 17, weeks before the first deaths were reported in the U.S. Neither had travelled outside the country. The deaths now lead officials to believe that coronavirus had been circulating in the U.S as early as January and well before the government restricted travel from China on Feb.2.
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Now stores are coming up with hands-free door handles made of recycled plastic. The short, sickle-shaped gadgets are attached to the face of doors at market cold cases and freezers that shoppers can pull open with their forearms.
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There are now 114 cases of the virus in Santa Cruz County with two deaths while Monterey County has 154 cases and two deaths.
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I spoke with Shaz Roth, CEO of the Pajaro Valley Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture today and she expressed optimism about getting through the COVID-19 crisis. She said her team called all members of the chamber just to check in and was surprised at how many businesses are open, like food stores, service stations, automotive and such. Roth said she comes into the office most days.
