COVID-19

APTOS—When Covid-19 began to sweep the U.S.—and brought with it an economic recession—Cabrillo College officials expected a jump in enrollment that typically comes with a battered economy. But the college is now seeing a significant drop in those numbers, which it pins on the double...

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...

By Stacy Cowley and Jim Tankersley, of The New York Times Aiming to put its own stamp on the Paycheck Protection Program, the Biden administration on Monday abruptly changed crucial program rules in ways intended to help the smallest and neediest companies, which have sometimes...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Renters and landlords in Santa Cruz County who have been impacted by the pandemic are eligible for more than $16 million of federal funds to help pay utilities, home energy costs and rent, county spokesperson Jason Hoppin announced Monday. The funds are allocated...

The Santa Cruz County Public Health Division is monitoring confirmed reports of Covid-19 cases involving variants found in Santa Cruz County, spokesman Jason Hoppin said in a press release Monday. Two cases of the B.1.1.7 variant, known generally as the U.K. variant, have been identified...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Covid-19 pandemic has had a disparate impact on communities nationwide, with Latinx and Black communities experiencing greater impacts than white ones. That is according to a report heard Tuesday by the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors. The report, presented by Health Services...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Santa Cruz County health officials on Monday announced that a person who traveled to Seattle – and returned on a commercial flight in late February –  became the second confirmed case of coronavirus after a test on Sunday. The person, about whom health...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Starting Monday, thousands of students across Santa Cruz County will be out of school for at least one week after county education officials closed every school in response to the growing threat from coronavirus. But teachers and school employees will be required to...

CALIFORNIA—Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a statewide “stay at home” order on Thursday evening, bringing California’s nearly 40 million residents in line with shelter-in-place orders recently issued by Santa Cruz and Monterey county officials. The directive goes into effect this evening, Newsom said at a press...

GILROY—This year’s Gilroy Garlic Festival has been canceled, festival organizers announced late Friday afternoon. The announcement came as governmental jurisdictions, businesses, educators and residents throughout California are severely restricting their activities in response to the coronavirus pandemic. In a brief email, organizers said the 40-year-old festival...