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....
County disputes San Jose projections of 2,000 coronavirus deaths
Santa Clara County officials on Thursday disputed projections in a San Jose staff presentation earlier in the week that estimated the county could see up to 2,000 novel coronavirus-related deaths within 12 weeks. The projected numbers, deemed the “best-case scenario,” dwarf the county’s 19 deaths and 542 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by...
Santa Clara County needs medical masks to fight COVID-19. This group is hand-making them.
Donations have poured in for masks and other protective gear for Santa Clara County doctors and nurses fighting the coronavirus in one of the country’s most highly-infected areas – but it’s still not enough. The dire shortage continues. So one group got creative and started making those much-needed masks. “(Mask shortages) are a problem I...
Coronavirus: Unemployment claims skyrocket in California, local schools remain closed
Unemployment claims have skyrocketed in California as state leaders anxiously watch for what has become a contentious coronavirus stimulus bill to pass through Congress. More than 1 million unemployment claims have been filed since March 13, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday. By comparison, before the respiratory disease caused state leaders to issue a wide-reaching “stay...
Santa Clara County passes renter protections due to COVID-19
The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously adopted a countywide eviction moratorium, effective immediately. The ordinance, in effect through May 31, will protect renters throughout the county from being evicted due to loss of income because of the novel coronavirus. Evictions have been top of mind for local leaders as Bay Area...
Coronavirus LIVE BLOG: March 11 to March 25
Catch up on our current Coronavirus LIVE BLOG here. 9:30 p.m. March 25: State leaders push Gov. Newsom to ban evictions A group of state leaders, including Sens. Jim Beall, Scott Wiener and Assemblymen Ash Kalra and Kansen Chu, urged Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign an executive order banning all evictions during California’s State of...
Congressmembers talk coronavirus in Silicon Valley, stalled funding bill
Silicon Valley residents are hungry for answers about the fast-spreading coronavirus as Congress fights over bills to fund America’s response to the pandemic. But on Tuesday, residents got a chance to question four U.S. House of Representative members representing parts of Silicon Valley during a “virtual town hall” to talk about Washington’s response to the...
UPDATE: San Jose lawmakers OK plan for paid sick leave during COVID-19 pandemic
While the U.S. aims to “flatten the curve,” low-wage employees without paid time off continue to show up to work — even if they’re feeling sick. But the threat of contagion has San Jose leaders worried these workers will continue to spread the coronavirus. On Wednesday, a San Jose City Council committee voted 4-1 to...
Too many people flocked to state parks amid coronavirus. Now they might be closed.
Californians were evidently feeling a bit of cabin fever this weekend when many rushed to local beaches and parks to stretch their legs days after California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a new “stay at home” order. The order aims to get residents to stay inside except for specific, essential tasks and exercise. When outside, state...
Coronavirus: Fears, misinformation spreads in San Jose over police enforcement of orders
In the midst of the coronavirus crisis, rumors and misinformation can spread just as quickly as the disease. In San Jose, social media posts proliferated alleging police officers were stopping people in low-income neighborhoods for violating the state’s “shelter-in-place” order, which asks residents to stay inside unless they need to do essential tasks. The claims alarmed police...