Morning Lookout: As the Delta variant rises, so does the tension and new guidance

By Tulsi Kamath

Source: Lookout Santa Cruz

Good Morning!

While potential thunderstorm action brings some light rain to the south of us, it actually looks like we’re going to warm up a bit today. Downtown Santa Cruz is slated to burn off in full and reach 77 degrees. Should be lovely.

Meanwhile it will be a day for absorbing and processing more new news on the pandemic front. We’re hearing this morning of new guidance coming from the Centers of Disease Control & Prevention that will recommend everyone in K-12 schools wear a mask — regardless of vaccination status. The CDC is also urging vaccinated people in certain areas of the country to resume wearing masks because of COVID-19.

That’s in the wake of yesterday’s state level news of building more stringent safeguards into the healthcare worker system.

On the local level, we’re following up on the implications coming out of this recent news from Felton...

Stay tuned for what we can learn about that, and now to the day’s headlines...

Newsom: State and health care workers must show proof of vaccine, or get tested regularly

A health worker adjustment: Starting next Monday, all 246,000 state employees plus all of California’s public and private health care workers must show proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 or be subject to weekly coronavirus testing. More from our Neil Strebig.

ICYMI: The return of mask fatigue: Trying to make sense of an all-too-familiar COVID ritual that confounds us all (NS)

Likely California voters now almost evenly split on Newsom recall, poll finds

The potential dates are narrowing for the Gavin Newsom recall election.

Newsom at a crossroads? The findings of the new poll by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies and co-sponsored by the L.A. Times dispel the notion that California’s solid Democratic voter majority will provide an impenetrable shield for Newsom. More from the LA Times here.

Satellite images of wildfires are saving lives

The Pentagon might let the program expire: Since 2019, the nascent FireGuard program has relied on temporary permission from the Pentagon to review classified data collected from a variety of government sources, including U.S. military satellites that search the skies for enemy missiles. But that access could end as soon as September, just as the Santa Ana winds begin and California’s wildfire season typically becomes more active. More from the Times here.

Dixie fire scorches nearly 200,000 acres, doubling in size in days (LAT)

LOOKOUT’S WILDFIRE RESOURCE GUIDE: Please use and share this with those in need of information.

The Tokyo Games

First, the good news...

Team Zaferes takes bronze for dad

Aptos’ Olympic medalist: Before Katie and Tommy Zaferes moved to North Carolina in January, they had spent time living in their custom-built tiny home in Corralitos when they weren’t somewhere around the world training for the Olympic moment that Katie seized in Tokyo. But it was the death of her dad in April that both challenged and drove forward this big moment. More from me here.

Batten takes 9th: Utah’s Haley Batten, who trains in Santa Cruz, took ninth in the women’s cross country mountain bike event.

And now for the not-so-good news for Team USA...

After dropping out of Tokyo Olympics team final, Simone Biles uncertain she’ll continue (ESPN)

USWNT draws with Australia in final Olympic group game (ESPN)

Japan blanks United States 2-0 to win gold in softball (ESPN)

That’s it for today. If you’re enjoying our coverage, please tell your family and friends about our Lookout Newsletter & Text Center, where they can sign up for all the newsletters and alerts we offer. You can also keep tabs on everything we’re publishing through the day by bookmarking our website and following us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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Have a great day!

Mark Conley
mark@lookoutlocal.com