COVID-19

SACRAMENTO—The California Department of Education (CDE) on Monday released a set of guidelines for schools statewide to use as they seek to reopen in the fall, nearly three months after they closed to slow the spread of Covid-19. While the state agency leaves actual policymaking...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Gyms, barbershops, beauty salons, places of worship and shopping malls across Santa Cruz County will all have to close their indoor services on Tuesday, county health officials announced Monday. Retail and existing outdoor restaurant operations are unaffected by the new county health orders...

CENTRAL COAST—An estimated 10 million people took to the skies over the Christmas holiday despite being urged by health officials, law agencies and politicians around the country, and locally, to stay at home and not continue to spread the coronavirus through gatherings. Despite regional lockdowns...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The shelter-in-place order issued Monday by Santa Cruz County officials applies to most residents, requiring them to stay home except to engage in – or work for –  services deemed essential. Violation of the order is a misdemeanor that can bring fines or...

The federal government is preparing to open two new industry-specific small-business relief programs, one of them months in the works, as its signature pandemic aid effort, the Paycheck Protection Program, nears its end. The Small Business Administration said it hopes to start taking applications by...

WATSONVILLE—According to Santa Cruz County’s Health Services Agency, as of June 22, more than 146,500 county residents (that is, about 53%) have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19. And more than 172,000 residents (62%) have received at least one shot. The numbers are promising. However, rates...

APTOS—The Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League high school basketball season got underway last week. But the Aptos High boys and girls programs will have to wait a tad bit longer to get going after recent positive Covid-19 test results.   Aptos High Athletic Director Travis Fox...

WATSONVILLE—After working a long shift picking strawberries and greens, dozens of farmworkers and their families received the royal treatment thanks to a new program from El Pájaro Community Development Corporation. Called the Farmworker’s Family Dinner, the initiative treated 38 families—roughly 230 people—to meals from El...

WATSONVILLE—All major City of Watsonville events have been canceled through the end of the year, City Manager Matt Huffaker said at Tuesday’s City Council meeting. That includes the annual Spirit of Watsonville Fourth of July Parade, the Watsonville Strawberry Festival and the Wine, Beer and...

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...