Latest Santa Cruz Case Count; County Joins Watch List

SANTA CRUZ, CA — Santa Cruz County has officially joined the state's watch list.

Santa Cruz County is officially on the state's monitoring list Friday after state officials flagged it Wednesday. When counties are added to the state monitoring list, it means state health officials are eyeing troubling COVID-19 statistics and offering targeted support to help counties make progress.

Numerous businesses must now close for indoor operations, as of Tuesday. That includes hair salons and barbershops, fitness facilities, worship services, ceremonies such as weddings and funerals, office buildings for nonessential workers, nail salons, malls and other businesses.

The number of COVID-19 cases in Santa Cruz County continues to climb. There were 920 cases as of Sunday, the most recent day for which data was available Monday, including 573 active cases and four deaths. That's an increase of 171 cases since the previous Sunday.

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Watsonville remains the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in Santa Cruz County. There are 521 known cases in South-County, 199 cases in Mid-County, 128 cases in North-County and 72 cases still under investigation.

Here's the breakdown by city:

• Capitola: 34
• Santa Cruz: 157
• Scotts Valley: 21
• Watsonville: 460
• Unincorporated: 168
• Under Investigation: 80

California's average daily number of cases over the last 14 days now sits at 9,316 while average daily coronavirus deaths over the same 14-day period sit at 95. Health officials across the state have confirmed a total of 460,550 coronavirus cases and 8,445 deaths.

Most Santa Cruz County residents who have contracted the virus have been sickened by close, person-to-person contact, with people who are closer than six feet to each other for more than 15 minutes. Usually, those people are not wearing masks, said county Health Officer Gail Newel Thursday.

Most of the county's total cases have been reported in recent weeks.

"Our staff is overwhelmed by the sheer number of cases that are increasing every single day," Newel said.

Full coronavirus coverage: Coronavirus In California: What To Know