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April 20, 2026

Monterey County, Bay Area health officers urge caution as Covid cases rise

MONTEREY COUNTY — Monterey County’s health officer is joining 10 other officials from the Bay Area in stressing the importance of taking safety precautions, such as masking indoors, as the region experiences a new surge of Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations. The Bay Area now has...

Thousands of farmworkers are prioritized for the coronavirus vaccine

COACHELLA, Calif. — The sun-baked desert valley tucked behind the San Jacinto Mountains is best known for an annual music festival that draws 100,000 fans a day and a series of lush, oasis resort towns where well-heeled snowbirds go to golf, sunbathe and party....

City parks in Monterey County reopen to community

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...

Fully vaccinated people no longer required to wear a mask in Monterey County buildings

MONTEREY COUNTY — Monterey County will no longer require fully vaccinated residents to wear a face covering when inside a county building, the county announced Wednesday. Starting Thursday, residents will be asked to verbally attest that they are fully vaccinated when entering a county building...

Covid-19 cases, deaths surge to new highs in Monterey County

Covid-19, novel coronavirus 2019
MONTEREY COUNTY — Thousands of new cases and dozens of deaths related to Covid-19 have been reported in Monterey County since the beginning of the new year, less than two weeks ago. According to California’s Covid-19 reporting system, last updated Jan. 12, Monterey County’s virus...

Gonzales schools begin phased reopening plan

GONZALES — Gonzales City Council recently heard an update on schools from Gonzales Unified School District Superintendent Yvette Irving. Among the information presented at the April 5 meeting was that fewer high school seniors were facing risk of not graduating, and that the creation of...

More contagious virus variant is now dominant in U.S., CDC chief says

WASHINGTON — A highly infectious variant of the coronavirus that was first identified in Britain has become the most common source of new infections in the United States, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday. The worrisome development comes...

Monterey County supervisors adopt countywide mask order

MONTEREY COUNTY — After several weeks of discussion, Monterey County Board of Supervisors has approved a countywide indoor face covering ordinance that could begin in late October if certain criteria are met. Last week the Board delayed final approval of its mask mandate until Tuesday...

Taking the vaccine into the fields to help vulnerable farmworkers

CALIFORNIA — Before state officials announced that 40% of California's new vaccine doses would go to low-income communities, leaders were struggling to make good on promises to prioritize vulnerable Californians in the vaccine rollout. As my colleague Miriam Jordan recently wrote, farmworkers were among those...

Mass vaccination clinics launch throughout Salinas Valley

SALINAS VALLEY — Monterey County companies, organizations and agencies have partnered to host mass vaccination sites weekly, with the latest having taken place at the Salinas Valley Fairgrounds in King City last Saturday. Two mass clinics had already taken place earlier this month in Salinas,...

Local News

Gonzales Police

Gonzales Police urge focus behind the wheel during Distracted Driving Awareness...

GONZALES — April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month and the Gonzales Police Department wants to remind drivers to stay focused, keep their eyes...