The county’s mask mandate ended on Tuesday night. Then, why are retailers like The Starving Musician, Shen’s Gallery, Streetlight Records, Toque Blanche, Pacific Thai and Pacific Trading Co. keeping theirs?
COVID Today
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California bills target doctors, websites pushing vaccine misinformation
The bills were introduced as part of an effort by a group of Democratic legislators who have been working to strengthen vaccination laws.
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Masks off again: Santa Cruz County to align with state next week as Omicron tapers off
Vaccinated individuals will no longer be required to wear masks indoors as of next Wednesday; the mandate remains in place for those who haven’t been vaccinated and in K-12 schools, health care settings and on public transit.
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When is it really safe to take off your mask in California? Here’s what we know
Even as indoor mask orders in Santa Cruz County and across the state are set to expire next week, health officials are still encouraging people to wear masks while transmission rates are up.
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New COVID sick leave would leave out at least 1 in 4 California workers
California lawmakers plan to bring back COVID supplemental paid sick leave, but it won’t cover small business workers.
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Ready for another pandemic malady? It’s called ‘decision fatigue’
Living through the COVID-19 pandemic has come with a barrage of daily choices that have many of us complaining of a sort of brain freeze. That exhaustion is real, and it’s got a name: “decision fatigue.”
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Santa Cruz County, health officials confident a district will save Watsonville Community Hospital
Watsonville Community Hospital is at risk of closing after years of financial struggle. Santa Cruz County and health care officials hope that a health care district, a government entity with a complicated and not always successful history in the state, will prevent that.
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Statewide mandate for indoor masking to sunset on Feb. 15, but Santa Cruz’s guidelines still uncertain
Whether or not Santa Cruz County Health Officer Gail Newel lifts the mask mandate will depend on what she sees. “She’s going to base it off data like case rates, testing positivity, and effective reproductive number,” said county health spokesperson Corinne Hyland.
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New COVID-19 sick pay for California workers approved by lawmakers
The policy allows workers at businesses of 26 or more employees to take paid time off to recover from COVID-19, care for a family member, or get a vaccine.
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COVID remains the most formidable, frightening foe at Beijing Olympics
Olympic athletes are coping with intense anxiety over COVID test results, with positive results a constant threat to knock them out of competition.