COVID-19

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz County Public Health Division announced Thursday that it has awarded $619,900 in health equity grants to 20 organizations to help address disparities among populations impacted by Covid-19. The funds come from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES)...

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...

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council on Tuesday approved several changes to its Community Development Block Grant funding plan from the previous fiscal year and accepted an early funding plan for the 2020-21 fiscal year. The amendments to the 2019-20 fiscal year were needed because the City...

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...

WATSONVILLE—A pair of positive Covid-19 tests has shut down the Excel In Place program at the Environmental Science Workshop in Watsonville through its Dec. 18 end date. Watsonville Parks and Community Services Director Nick Calubaquib said two employees at that location on Second Street recently...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—More than one million people have so far received a Covid-19 vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control.  These “frontline” workers in tier 1a of the state’s protocol include health care workers, first responders and other people who interact directly with patients.  In...

SACRAMENTO—California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Dec. 30 released a plan under which schools could reopen as early as February. The plan, which streamlines the process of applying for a waiver to bring students back for in-person instruction, is bolstered by a $2 billion package of...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—It is unlikely that Santa Cruz County will move from the purple “widespread” tier to the less restrictive red “substantial” tier when the state updates its tier assignments Tuesday, according to county spokesman Jason Hoppin. That means several indoor business operations will continue...

Santa Cruz County officials are urging the public to avoid crowding the county’s beaches in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19. With shelter-in-place orders in place throughout California, non-essential workers are staying home, schools and universities are switching to online classes and some...

WATSONVILLE—The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on Wednesday approved two proposals that will allow the district to fast-track the hiring of three companies to clean and sanitize school property as a way to combat COVID-19, also known as coronavirus. The trustees also...