Santa Clara County’s cannabis dispensaries will no longer be allowed to sell recreational marijuana at their shops under a new stay at home order issued by top health officials this week. It’s a reversal from a decision a few weeks ago that allowed the shops to stay open for both recreational and medicinal customers —...
coronavirus
South Bay taxi and rideshare drivers grapple with coronavirus shutdown
It’s a good day when Shakur Buni manages to get three fares a day as a taxi driver. Since Santa Clara County has ordered residents to stay at home to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, rides have dwindled for taxi drivers in San Jose. The number of taxi trips at the Mineta San Jose...
Silicon Valley officials remain cautious as big changes to ‘shelter in place’ order take effect
Life in the Bay Area won’t to return to normal anytime soon, county officials announced Tuesday as they extended the region’s existing stay at home order by nearly a month, and added a slew of strict new restrictions. Dr. Sara Cody, Santa Clara County’s top health official, on Tuesday told residents that they’d be under...
San Jose: How to talk to your kids about the coronavirus
In a TikTok video, toddlers wearing pajamas sing, “We’re in quarantine. Yes, we’re in quarantine. Germs go away! Germs go away!” Although adorable, the video exemplifies that even kids are processing the effects of the coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, especially as they’re cooped up at home with a barrage of information surrounding them. Some...
Coronavirus: How Silicon Valley worships in the age of social distancing
The South Bay’s store shelves have emptied of toilet paper, streets have cleared of traffic and social calendars have emptied as residents scurried inside to preserve their health and encourage the coronavirus infection curve to flatten. But in recent livestreamed services, religious leaders connected with their congregations, offering messages of hope and advice to cope....
New ‘Health Corps’ initiative aims to beef up medical workforce in California — and fast
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is trying to beef up the state’s medical workforce as health care officials brace for a projected influx of new coronavirus patients in the next eight weeks. The initiative, dubbed “Health Corps” includes a new website and promises to remove barriers for medical workers looking to return to the industry after...
Coronavirus: South Bay distilleries working to ease sanitizer shortage
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....