COVID-19

WATSONVILLE—The demographics of Santa Cruz County’s novel coronavirus cases now mirror those at the state and national level, raising concerns about the county’s response to increasing numbers in Watsonville. Though cases have remained relatively low compared to other counties around the state, Watsonville and its...

WATSONVILLE—Working as an Environmental Services Aide at Watsonville Community Hospital, Benjamin Lamsen cleans rooms in the Emergency Department and the Intensive Care Unit. That work has been challenging, he says, since the Covid-19 pandemic began its spread across the globe. In addition to increased...

WATSONVILLE—Brian Orozco prides himself in putting his clients at Functional Fitness Training Center through a vigorous workout that challenges them both physically and mentally. Weaving his way through the Employment Development Board’s system to file an unemployment claim put his strenuous workouts to shame. He tried...

APTOS—New Leaf Community Market in Aptos reopened Tuesday morning after a store-wide deep cleaning, spokeswoman Lindsay Gizdich said. The store closed on April 21 after seven employees tested positive for COVID-19. All employees currently working have been tested for the virus, and are cleared to work,...

Editor's note: This story has been updated from an earlier version. WATSONVILLE—Nearly four dozen residents of Watsonville Nursing Center have tested positive for the novel coronavirus in a new outbreak at the local skilled nursing facility. According to a post on its website, WNC Administrator Rae...

SACRAMENTO—A contract with a San Jose diagnostics company will allow the state to increase its Covid-19 testing capacity up to an additional 150,000, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Aug. 24. Under the deal with Perkin Elmer, the state will be able to process up to an...

WATSONVILLE—The County of Santa Cruz recently announced the opening of a new mass vaccination center in downtown Watsonville, and officially welcomed residents 65 years and older to sign up for their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. The new OptumServe site, located at the old...

Santa Cruz County officials as of Friday morning had confirmed 34 COVID-19 cases. Neighboring Monterey County, meanwhile, had 27 confirmed cases of the highly-contagious virus as of Friday morning. That county also announced that it had tested more than 400 residents. There are a total of...

The 1917 Watsonville Woman's Club, in Tudor Revival style, has just undergone a new exterior paint job, thanks to the efforts of Masters Painting. Mike Masters said he was pleased with the outcome but added that due to the age of the structure, there...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Outdoor amusement parks in California counties in the red tier of the state’s Covid-19 reopening plan will be allowed to welcome back customers next month, the California Department of Public Health announced Friday afternoon. Live outdoor sporting events and performances will, too, be...