When shortages of cleaning supplies and protective equipment were first announced across Silicon Valley in response to the coronavirus, San Jose distiller Virag Saksena realized he already had all the tools to help. The CEO of the 10th St. Distillery in San Jose halted production of his award-winning whiskey two weeks ago and pivoted to producing an...
How can you protect yourself against coronavirus-related scams?
While safety in coronavirus times may mean staying indoors and washing your hands for 20 seconds, protecting against outbreak-related scams should also be on the priority list. And now top Santa Clara County officials are tracking those potential scams amid the COVID-19 pandemic and warning residents — who are already grappling with isolation, fear and loss...
Santa Clara County repurposes fairgrounds to protect homeless from coronavirus
Santa Clara County will soon use its fairgrounds to shelter at least five dozen homeless residents and provide trailers to socially isolate people with mild cases or symptoms of coronavirus in its latest effort to limit the spread of the pandemic. The 150-acre area normally hosts events like weddings and dog training. Now, it will...
San Jose advocates provide supplies to help homeless fight coronavirus
While most people are huddled indoors because of the novel coronavirus, activist Shaunn Cartwright instead found herself on Friday headed to a San Jose homeless encampment. She’s done it countless times before. But now she’s there to ask a potentially life-saving question. “Has anybody come by to talk to you about the virus?” Cartwright asked....
What should you do in San Jose if you think you might have coronavirus?
With Silicon Valley becoming the epicenter of an explosion of coronavirus cases, it’s only natural to second guess every throat tickle. So what should you do if you think you have coronavirus? And how can you find out if you have it? We turned to the Santa Clara County Public Health Department and credible expert...
Newsom halts some evictions, but financial need in Santa Clara County soars
Renters across California won’t be evicted for not paying rent if they can show the fast-spreading coronavirus has upended their finances, California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared Friday. The announcement came in the form of an executive order that puts a halt to such evictions through May 31. But renters will still owe their rent when...
Look inside: Santa Clara Convention Center set up for 250 COVID-19 patients
Rows of cots, hand washing stations and other medical supplies have been retrofitted inside the Santa Clara Convention Center as it transitions into a temporary federal medical station to treat less-severe COVID-19 patients. The coronavirus has been ripping through the South Bay, with Santa Clara County counting 542 confirmed cases and 19 deaths as of...
Why is it so hard to get tested for coronavirus in Santa Clara County?
Rosa and Marcial Cardenas are both over the age of 65, on Medicare and have underlying health issues that increase their risk of getting sick from the highly-contagious coronavirus that’s torn through Silicon Valley, killing 16 people, infecting 459 others and shuttering the local economy. So when Rosa, a longtime diabetic, developed flu-like symptoms two weeks...
San Jose parks, light rail routes close as agencies respond to fast-spreading coronavirus
Two of San Jose’s city parks will be temporarily closed starting Friday as local officials try to thin the record crowds parks saw last weekend following a statewide “stay at home” order. Alum Rock Park on the city’s east side and the staircase and trail on Communications Hill will close, according to a news release...
More deputies fall sick as COVID-19 cases, deaths rise in the South Bay
A sixth Santa Clara County deputy has fallen sick with the novel coronavirus, known as COVID-19, marking the fifth case on a single team within the county’s “Custody Bureau.” The county’s Custody Bureau includes several divisions at the Main Jail and the Elmwood Correctional Complex. The sheriff’s office hasn’t said where the deputies were based....