COVID-19

Tarmo Hannula: Chilly weather has gripped much of California as a cold front wandered into the region Sunday. I was in San Francisco Sunday morning and it was plain to see, and feel, as a huge gray blade of clouds slowly sliced across the...

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,...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—State officials have sponsored a community testing site for COVID-19 cases in the Watsonville area, Santa Cruz County Department of Public Health Director Mimi Hall said at Tuesday morning’s Santa Cruz County Supervisors meeting. The hope, Hall said, is it will be operational...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a temporary moratorium on evictions in the unincorporated parts of the county through Sept. 30. The board also unanimously approved a plan to restrict beach access during the upcoming Labor Day weekend...

WATSONVILLE—After Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday moved most counties in California into the “Widespread” or purple tier of Covid-19 restrictions—saying he was pulling an “emergency brake” on efforts to reopen the state—school districts across the state followed suit. Pajaro Valley Unified School District was planning...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a temporary ordinance that will allow law enforcement officials to issue tickets to people violating county health orders, including not wearing a face covering where it is required. Under the new county...

WATSONVILLE—The Pajaro Valley Unified School District has extended its free bagged breakfast and lunch program through the rest of the fall semester. Young people up to the age of 18 can pick up the meals at 15 PVUSD schools from 7-10am every weekday. On Fridays,...

Continued decreases in case and positivity rates have Santa Cruz County on track to enter a less restrictive tier of the state’s Covid-19 reopening plan on March 31, County Health Officer Dr. Gail Newel said at Thursday’s weekly virtual press conference. According to data released...

SACRAMENTO—Outdoor dining and other services can resume after Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday ended the state’s regional stay-at-home order based on intensive care unit (ICU) capacity.  In its place, the state has returned to the Blueprint for a Safer Economy and the color-coded tier system...

APTOS—Two weeks before the Thanksgiving holiday rolled around, Twin Lakes Church Pastor Rene Schlaepfer and Second Harvest Food Bank (SHFB) CEO Willy Elliott McCrea were worried. The church’s annual food drive, which typically raises thousands of dollars for the food bank’s holiday, was falling short,...