Being in the newsroom at the Pajaronian has been extraordinary these past few weeks with the outbreak of the global pandemic: COVID-19. We are hearing of big changes across the social spectrum, from schools cancelling classes to late night talk shows no longer having audiences.
Major theme parks are suspending hours or shutting their doors and the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk will be closed from March 13-27. CSU Monterey Bay suspended classes for the next two weeks and the Monterey Bay Aquarium has closed for the next two weeks.
We just learned that UC Santa Cruz has extended their suspension of all in-person classes for the entire spring quarter.
The City of Watsonville announced Friday afternoon that it will close all nonessential services, which include the Public Library and front desk services. Also, the March 24 City Council meeting has been cancelled.
Starbucks’ CEO said customers may now only be able to order via drive-thru or mobile due to coronavirus. Mobile orders are commonly picked up in person at the counter and are typically paid online, not in person.
The Stock Market also just had its worst day on Wall Street in 33 years.
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I stopped by the Watsonville Municipal Airport Wednesday afternoon to watch about six Russian-made single-propeller airplanes, known as Yaks, landing, taking off and doing stunts in the air. The beefy and loud airplanes drew a lot of attention.
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Rain is now being predicted from Saturday through Tuesday with chances of lingering showers even further into the week. Some heavy rain could over the weekend, the National Weather Service said.
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For what it’s worth, today is Friday the 13th, an odd day to be dealing with all the fallout from coronavirus.
Quote of the day: “An arrogant person considers himself perfect. This is the chief harm of arrogance. It interferes with a person’s main task in life – becoming a better person.” Leo Tolstoy
