COVID-19

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 — 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...

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...

KING CITY — City of King is now accepting business assistance applications for those who have been impacted financially by the Covid-19 pandemic. The funding is provided by the City of King and the State of California CDBG program. The City will be offering grants...

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...

In a sharp turnabout, federal health officials Thursday advised that Americans who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus may stop wearing masks or maintaining social distance in most indoor and outdoor settings, regardless of size. The advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...

KING CITY — Students from Monterey County Dance Theatre were able to return to their dance studio in King City to resume indoor practice for the first time in 380 days. Director Janette Harkness called the past year “the roller coaster of all roller coasters,”...

MONTEREY COUNTY — Monterey County’s state-supported Covid-19 testing sites located in Seaside, Salinas and Soledad are expanding hours in response to an increase in demand for testing. The community testing sites will be adding additional days and appointment times as a result, announced Monterey County...

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...

MONTEREY COUNTY — Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, Mee Memorial Healthcare System, Natividad Medical Center, Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital and the Monterey County Health Department are urging all residents to act now to protect themselves and their families against respiratory viruses circulating this...