COVID-19

MONTEREY COUNTY — Federal, state and county agencies, including Cal Coastal, continue to offer assistance to local businesses, with two new programs having recently begun to help them bounce back from the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. Cindy Merzon, director of Cal Coastal’s Small Business...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Joe Biden signed the $1.9 trillion economic relief package on Thursday afternoon, ushering in an aggressive infusion of federal aid in a far-reaching effort to address the toll of the coronavirus pandemic. “This historic legislation is about rebuilding the backbone of...

As soon as the first U.S. case of the omicron variant of the coronavirus was reported in San Francisco, California officials began sounding the same message: Don’t panic. “We are not surprised by this. This was predictable. This was predicted,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in...

For 12 straight days and counting, Transportation Security Administration officers have screened more than 1 million people a day at domestic airports. On Skyscanner, a travel-booking site, weekly booking volume has increased by 75% in the last month. In a recent survey of nearly...

Americans who are fully vaccinated can travel “at low risk to themselves,” both within the United States and internationally, but they must continue to take precautions like wearing a mask in public, avoiding crowds, maintaining social distancing and washing hands frequently, federal health officials...

MONTEREY COUNTY — City parks throughout Monterey County have begun to reopen due to the lessening of health restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic. Gonzales Recreation Department announced the reopening of its parks by March 12. The announcement followed a March 1 reopening of the...

California became the first state to issue a vaccine mandate for all educators in public and private schools when Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday ordered teachers and school staff members to provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19 or face weekly testing. “We think it’ll be...

Robert Hesse was expecting an imminent promotion to manager of Sub Zero Ice Cream, a nitrogen ice cream shop in Ventura, California, when it shut down in March because of the pandemic. “I like to work,” said Hesse, a college graduate who turns 26 on...

SAN JOSE, Calif. — On an unseasonably warm day in February, two men working with a local community group went door to door in an ethnically diverse neighborhood to persuade people to sign up for COVID-19 vaccinations. It was just after 11 a.m. when they...

MONTEREY COUNTY — Mee Memorial Hospital in King City will abide by recent state mandates that require hospital visitors to present proof of Covid-19 vaccination or a negative Covid-19 test taken within the past 72 hours. Dr. Joshua Deutsch, a physician from Mee Memorial, confirmed...