This Week on the Central Coast
COVID positivity numbers improved in both Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties and a Salinas Man traveled to DC to fight for immigration reform.
This week featured plenty of positive news regarding the virus in Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties. As Monterey moves into red tier, CHOMP has taken down its triage tent which was used to assess patients suspected of contracting COVID-19. The tent featured numerous filtration systems to help clean the air of any virus particles.
The Airshow and Rodeo in Salinas have announced dates for 2021. The California Airshow Salinas is scheduled for October 30 and 31 and the California Rodeo Salinas is scheduled for September. All pandemic guidelines will be in place at the events and organizers are expecting to enforce distancing, occupancy, and masking.
Beginning today (March 15), all Californians age 16-64, with certain health conditions, are eligible to get the vaccine. With this good news, Santa Cruz County expects to move into Orange Tier soon after.
Residents at Sunrise Villas in Salinas celebrate being completely vaccinated.
All residents at Sunrise Villas in Salinas received their second dose of vaccine two weeks ago. As of this week, they are all completely vaccinated. Employees at the facilities said the residents have done a terrific job of following shelter-in-place guidelines. To celebrate, the seniors took turns beating a COVID-19 virus piñata. Once broken, the piñata revealed that it contained biohazard bags which were filled with candy and lottery scratchers. Follow the link for the video!
Monterey County Prepares to Move to Red Tier
Monterey County is currently in the purple tier, but after California eases its guidelines for moving up in tiers, we will soon be in the red tier. The county expects to move into the less restrictive tier starting Tuesday or Wednesday. Once the county is in the red tier, some key reopenings can happen:
“Restaurants will be able to open indoor dining at 25% capacity.
Retail stores can increase their capacity to 50%.
Gyms and fitness centers can reopen at 10% capacity.
Movie theaters, museums, zoos and aquariums can open at 25% capacity.”
One of the most anticipated reopenings in Monterey is the Monterey Bay Aquarium. In a press statement, the aquarium stated that it would first welcome back members and donors. General admission is expected to happen later in May. (If you are interested in becoming a member, memberships can be purchased here.)
Pacific Grove will also benefit from the less-restrictive tier. On March 27, the city will be hosting a shopping event in downtown PG. Participating stores will be offering incentives for shoppers in hopes of increasing business after a very slow year. Pacific Grove will have volunteers handing out masks and hand sanitizer during the event.
A Salinas Berry Worker traveled to DC to Campaign for Immigration Reform.
Francisco explained that immigration reform is desperately needed so that fieldworkers can do their job without fear. The United Farm Workers of America shared a video of Francisco to highlight his efforts. The organization has fought consistently for farm workers’ rights, arguing that workers need a path to legalization based on merit due to the important role they play in the nation’s food supply.
Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren explained: “The men and women who work America’s farms feed the nation. But many of them do so while living and working in a state of uncertainty and fear, which has only been heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic… Stabilizing the workforce will protect the future of our farms and our food supply."
