Latest Watsonville Coronavirus Updates

WATSONVILLE, CA — Even more changes will be coming to Santa Cruz County in coming days.

On Friday the county said face coverings, such as bandanas or even t-shirts, could help stop asymptomatic people with COVID-19 from passing along the new coronavirus.

While some have continued to gather at local beaches in spite of the shelter-in-place order in place through May 3, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office is looking to stop public gatherings. On Friday the sheriff's office announced the creation of a Beaches and Parks Contact Team.

Youth in the City of Santa Cruz can expect to stay out of schools for months after Gov. Gavin Newsom called on schools to remain closed for the rest of the school year due to concerns about the new coronavirus. Many parents will have to stay home longer than expected too after Santa Cruz County announced Tuesday plans to extend the shelter-in-place order through May 3.

As of Friday there were 59 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Santa Cruz County and one death associated with the virus.

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This week Santa Cruz County officials announced they have seen early indications that the shelter-in-place order appears to be making an impact.

Local groups are doubling down on efforts to serve and protect homeless residents amid the outbreak. Nonprofits and the cities of Santa Cruz and Watsonville announced this week a homelessness task force.

In other uplifting news, two Santa Cruz County deputies performed a welfare check on an elderly man and learned he needed groceries. They returned with three bags from Safeway.

While the shelter-in-place order has significantly impacted local businesses, Watsonville Patch is compiling a list of open and closed businesses. View the list or add your business here.

We're going to publish the directory on Patch, in our local email newsletters and on our local Facebook pages to ensure that as many community members as possible know the status of your business. We'll continue to do this until this crisis has passed and our local businesses are back to normal operations.

Resources and Information

Read Patch's resource guide for Santa Cruz County residents here.

Some grocery stores in Northern California have longer or senior-only hours. Learn more here.

Anyone with questions may call 831-454-4242 between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. or text COVID19 to 211211.

Full coronavirus coverage: California Coronavirus: Live Updates On Cases, Closures, Orders