COVID-19

WATSONVILLE—The County of Santa Cruz had a soft opening for a new Covid-19 testing site at Ramsay Park Thursday.  The site will initially focus on frontline health care workers, first responders and employees working in essential services and roles, said county spokesman Jason Hoppin. A partnership...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Massage therapy, nail salons, tattoo parlors and other personal services can reopen in Santa Cruz County on Friday, the county announced Monday. The county said those businesses should follow state guidance released by the California Department of Public Health June 12 which requires...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Gov. Gavin Newsom on May 27 released his revision of the California budget, and through it proposed to eliminate funding for Community Based Adult Services (CBAS) no sooner than July 1. CBAS programs aim to provide seniors alternatives to nursing facilities and other...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Health officials are urging everyone 6 months and older to get a flu vaccine this year in order to avoid a “twindemic” of Covid-19 and influenza cases packing hospitals this winter. Santa Cruz County Deputy Health Officer David Ghilarducci says that getting a...

WATSONVILLE—A group of students at MacQuiddy Elementary School got a special holiday treat last week.  Thanks to the efforts of instructor Amy McGee and others, 15 kids—all members of Pajaro Valley Unified School District’s Safe Spots program—were handed an armload of gifts Friday, including a...

WATSONVILLE—On Nov. 9, Rae Ann Radford, the new Administrator for Watsonville Post Acute announced that the facility is cleared of the Covid-19 outbreak, not having had another positive case since Oct. 9. The encouraging news came after a total of 15 Covid-related deaths occurred at...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Santa Cruz County officials on Monday ordered all residents to stay home unless engaging in “essential activities, essential governmental functions, or to operate essential businesses.” In addition, all public and private outdoor gatherings are prohibited, as is all non-essential travel. Residents can still go...

A crew from the City of Watsonville were busy Wednesday installing a sculpture of a great white heron beside the Watsonville Nature Center in Ramsay Park. The art piece was created by John Cerney. • I saw on TV news this morning that there is another...

SANTA CRUZ—The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office said Friday that all inmates at Santa Cruz County Jail have tested negative for Covid-19. The announcement follows news that several correctional officers who work at the jail tested positive for the novel coronavirus, an outbreak that has...

SACRAMENTO—Gov. Gavin Newsom on April 22 announced plans to allow hospitals to resume surgeries and other procedures that were delayed while the state grapples with the novel coronavirus pandemic. These procedures include heart valve replacements, angioplasty and tumor removals, and key preventive care services, such...