COVID-19

The surge in unemployment filings in March 2020 provided one of the first clear warnings of the havoc the pandemic was wreaking on the U.S. economy. One year later, that klaxon is still blaring. More than 746,000 people filed first-time applications for state unemployment benefits last...

WASHINGTON — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention took a major step Tuesday toward coaxing Americans into a post-pandemic world, relaxing the rules on mask wearing outdoors as coronavirus cases recede and people increasingly chafe against restrictions. The mask guidance is modest and carefully...

MONTEREY — The Monterey Bay Aquarium will reopen May 15 following an unprecedented 13-month closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic. New rules will be in effect for visitors, including online-only ticket sales, required face coverings and timed-entry. All guests age 3 and older, as well as...

SACRAMENTO — For the first time in more than a century, California recorded a net loss in population last year, a demographic reversal caused by the deadly toll of the coronavirus and declining immigration and birthrates. The small but startling 0.46% drop — a decline...

UNITED STATES — The second year of the coronavirus pandemic is starting with rising hopes for the economic outlook — and a long way to go. Positive signs are emerging as restrictions on businesses lift and the pace of vaccine distributions ramps up. But millions...

MONTEREY COUNTY — Medical professionals from area hospitals discussed progress toward quelling the Covid-19 pandemic during Monterey County’s press briefing last week. Among the guest speakers at the May 19 briefing was family practice physician Dr. Joshua Deutsch from Mee Memorial Healthcare System, who spoke...

The push to mandate coronavirus vaccinations amid sharply rising caseloads nationwide accelerated Monday, as the country’s most populous state and its largest city both announced that they would require hundreds of thousands of government workers to get inoculations or face weekly testing. At the same...

SALINAS VALLEY — Monterey County Health Department announced the closure of the free Covid-19 testing site at Greenfield Library effective Oct. 17, with the facilities moving to Seaside beginning Tuesday. “We did get state support to move our testing operations from Greenfield to Seaside High...

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...

MONTEREY COUNTY — Monterey County Board of Supervisors has voted to suspend the masking requirement of its indoor face covering ordinance, effective immediately. “This means while wearing face coverings in indoor public settings remains strongly recommended, it is no longer required,” according to Maia Carroll,...