As health professionals, government institutions and the public at large confront the novel coronavirus Covid-19, the Weekly has been reporting on various local effects of the virus. From health to event cancellations and economic impact, our coverage, from newest to oldest, is compiled here. For earlier stories going back to Jan. 30, 2020, click here. For an interactive Covid-19 tracker for Monterey and nearby counties click here.
Five months into the U.S. response to the Covid-19 pandemic, many small businesses are struggling to keep their doors open. At Steamin’ Hot Co…
Expanding outdoor dining into on-street parking spaces in front of the Whaling Station Steakhouse on Wave Street in Monterey can’t come fast e…
Early in the pandemic, Salinas Councilmember Tony Villegas inadvertently called attention to what would become a vastly serious issue. Driving…
A DATA BACKLOG THAT MIGHT NOT MATTER
It didn’t take scientists long to figure out people poop out copies of the Covid-19 virus. Research started almost immediately as the pandemic…
It is back-to-school season, but this year in Monterey County that does not mean back to school in person.
Salinas nurses ask for a little more respect—and more protection in a pandemic.
The first three cases of Covid-19 at the Correctional Training Facility in Soledad were confirmed this week, and an employee at the state pris…
The coronavirus has had a devastating impact on workers, families and businesses in Monterey County. Our community is hurting, and without imm…
Early in the Covid-19 pandemic not everyone could get a test because test supplies were in short demand. Then people were encouraged to get te…
ON A TUESDAY MORNING, THE MULTIPURPOSE ROOM AT CABRILLO FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER IN SEASIDE IS BUZZING. About a dozen people are unpacking large…
When Covid-19 struck the Monterey County Jail, it struck the special custody unit first.
The shift from offices to working from home may be one of the greatest legacies of the Covid-19 pandemic for Monterey County. After coming to …
Since the wet season began on Oct. 1, 2019, the majority of California has received below-average precipitation, and as vegetation dries out a…
Twenty-six empty white folding chairs, representing those who have died from Covid-19 in Monterey County, served as the backdrop to the CEOs o…
Anyone who crosses the border into Monterey County must wear a face covering out in public or face fines beginning immediately today, July 28,…
For months, Latinos have been the most impacted group of Monterey County residents by Covid-19, accounting for 74 percent of the 4,082 cases d…
The plan was that the Monterey Bay Aquarium would be open by now, serving a limited number of visitors on timed tickets (to avoid overcrowding…
Gov. Gavin Newsom plans to increase temporary housing for agricultural workers and their families to quarantine or isolate during the Covid-19…
One morning in early April, Patrick Dunne couldn’t taste the raspberries in his oatmeal. That’s weird, he thought. In the shower he noticed he…
Patrick Dunne’s first night on April 29 as a Covid-19 patient at Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital was, in a word, “terrifying,” Dunne says. “I…
It’s the chart worth a thousand words, the one by the Monterey County Health Department that shows the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases by e…
For months, the parking lots at Roberts Lake in Seaside were consistently lined with RVs, SUVs, sedans and trucks. The vehicles belong to abou…
With one decision on a recent afternoon, Gov. Gavin Newsom terminated a thousand local battles over education – and launched a thousand more.
There are some things that just aren’t the same now that houses of worship have been closed. Gone are the days of taking communion and drinkin…
All of those good habits we learned over years – bring your own bag or reusable coffee cup – have gone out the window during the pandemic, in …
Marina Councilmember Adam Urrutia took office in 2018, running unopposed for one of two open seats. During his brief time in office, the forme…
Six years ago, the Monterey City Council made a promise to hotel owners. In exchange for hotels taxing themselves to pay for the $60 million M…
There was a time in March that health officials had a clear message for the public: Unless you are very sick with symptoms of Covid-19, don’t …
A ProPer Defense… Squid shlepped to the mailbox a few weeks back and found a jury summons. “Great,” Squid grumbled, “jury duty during a pandem…
Monterey Zoo founder Charlie Sammut has no qualms about paying taxes on his River Road facility, Vision Quest Ranch. “It’s how the county runs…
Talib Williams is witnessing what he calls “the convergence of two pandemics that would bring the nation to its knees” – referring to Covid-19…
It’s a Friday night and every patio seat at Melville Tavern in Monterey is taken, including two new two-tops that are set up in a hallway entr…
Feeding the nation is essential, and it is incumbent on agricultural employers to put stringent prevention practices in place to protect our e…
Last week, the city of Seaside issued notices to residents living in a homeless encampment in the parking lots of Roberts Lake that they were …
The show must go on, the saying goes. At Pacific Repertory Theatre in Carmel, it won't go on next season due to concerns around Covid-19.
In the realm of fighting wildfires, a strike team is a group of highly trained firefighters who swoop into hot spots to stamp out fires before…
Just weeks after reopening in Monterey County, fitness centers, hair salons, nail salons, tattoo parlors, offices in non-essential sectors, pl…
Doctors from three Monterey County hospitals pleaded with mayors and the county to ramp up enforcement of health orders around social distanci…
It started with a single inmate at Monterey County Jail who tested positive on Monday for Covid-19. Then one became three and three became six.
Before anyone gets too comfortable thinking bars, indoor dining and museums can restart on July 23, the reality is that's the best case scenar…
It’s an old saying but true during this unpredictable pandemic: The medical world is flying by the seat of its pants. In the absence of any ap…
In 1991, Timothy Johnson was sentenced to seven years-to-life in prison after a Sacramento County Superior Court jury found him guilty of aidi…
Have you ever thought: “Man, I’d really like a beer, but I just don’t feel like putting on my mask, going to the brewery and waiting in line.”
DOPPELGANGER… During shelter-in-place, Squid is spending a lot of time powering up the old desktop and logging on to the internet for what Squ…
Forest, a brilliant green and red parrot, was having a birthday on June 17, Julie Cardoza of the exotic bird performing act Happy Birds told c…
Two weeks past due, Gov. Gavin Newsom finally signed the 2020-2021 California state budget on June 29. It isn’t as abysmal as many initially e…
Casey Aguilar, owner of Monterey Bay Food Tours, has remained a vigilant observer of the restaurant industry over the last four months. Her to…
It was a confusing and conflicting three-day holiday weekend in Monterey County after a double dose of bad news for businesses hoping for a to…
For what would have been its 75th season, Monterey Symphony announced on July 6th, that their 2020-2021 performances will be shifted an entire…
Bars, wine tasting rooms, indoor dining and other indoor entertainment will close as of Wednesday, July 8, for a period of three weeks in an a…
Up to $936 million in loans have flowed into the economy of Monterey County as part of the federal Paycheck Protection Program during the pand…
Gov. Gavin Newsom is asking counties observing a surge in Covid-19 cases, including Monterey County, to roll back their reopening plans.
As of today, Thursday, July 2, Monterey County is on the state of California's monitoring list due to a rising number of Covid-19 cases. If th…
Monterey County is one 13 mid-sized counties in California, defined for the purposes of this data presentation as a county whose populations i…
The city of Monterey is shutting down its beaches to all activities except water sports and imposing a mandatory facial covering order that co…
Piglet racing, corn dogs, petting zoos and rides. The Monterey County Fair is one of the showcases that brings these things together on the Pe…
Fifteen Monterey County residents have died due to complications of Covid-19 as of Tuesday, June 30, the Monterey County Health Department rep…
When the Monterey County Board of Supervisors voted on May 26 to submit an application for expedited reopening of the local economy to the Cal…
Dakota Sandoval thought he had a really bad cold. Friends dropped off cold medicine at his door, but nothing could touch his cough or how terr…
In March, as Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered people to stay home at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in California, retailers and restaurants all …
Everything was set for the elaborate April 11 wedding of Anna Kong and Ali Maheri. Kong, who is of Chinese descent, had two dresses ready: a w…
As many restaurants have started coming back for dine-in service as Covid-19 guidelines allow them to, others have stuck with takeout-only, an…
The virtual world of jellyfish, sea otters, sharks and penguins streaming from the Monterey Bay Aquarium through the pandemic is about to once…
Monterey County residents are now free to mingle—within a stable group of 12 individuals called a “social circle” that will be together for fo…
For some business owners, Covid-19 hasn’t brought only tough times – it’s also brought new and exciting opportunities. At Post No Bills in San…
It was a bold idea to help struggling businesses during a pandemic that was perhaps too innovative for a town that values its Good Old Days. P…
FISHERMAN’S WHARF IS BUSTLING WITH VISITORS YEAR ROUND. They begin showing up at 6am to board fishing charter boats, followed by the next wave…
Just when you thought we’d hit bottom, Luna Mohammad is thinking about all of the other stuff that could go wrong. She works in the Monterey C…
In March, as life as everyone knows it was changing – as all restaurants were closing for dine-in service and some pivoting to take out as a w…
As of this morning, June 16, more than 1,000 cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in Monterey County, since the first case was reported exact…
In early May, The Tuck Box, Carmel’s historic English tea room and restaurant, threw caution to the wind and opened its patio and dining room …
The Monterey County Health Department confirmed the county's 12th death due to complications from Covid-19 via a Twitter post today, June 14.
A Monterey County Superior Court employee who works at the Monterey courthouse has tested positive for Covid-19, and certain courthouse person…
Shortly after they were forced to close due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Monterey County schools started offering grab-and-go meals for children …
Monterey County saw today, June 12, its second-biggest spike ever in new confirmed cases of Covid-19.
The Salinas office of the California Department of Motor Vehicles on East Laurel Drive abruptly closed on Thursday, June 11, by order of Monte…
A staff member at the Monterey County Superior Courthouse in Marina has tested positive for Covid-19, and now all staff members there have bee…
As Monterey County moves forward into reopening, health officials expect Covid-19 cases to increase.
As Monterey County reopens for business, Covid-19 has not gone away. In fact, County Health Officer Edward Moreno expects to see an increase i…
A few months ago, you would not have found postal workers discussing a mask made out of underwear and cans of oxygen (those are to help keep u…
A Saturday around noon in early May, and the woman cleaning the windows on the inside of Villa Azteca offers a half-smile and a nod to the pai…
On a crisp fall night just four months before Covid-19 – what now feels like a lifetime ago – about 100 people gathered shoulder-to-shoulder a…
Libraries begin reopening for curbside pickup, ordering materials by mail and remote summer reading.
It's not just private businesses that have been champing at the bit to reopen. Included in Gov. Gavin Newsom's reopening phase 2.5, along with…
One more person has died from complications of Covid-19, bringing county's total to 11 deaths since the start of the pandemic, the Monterey Co…
Monterey County got the go-ahead from Health Officer Edward Moreno to reopen—or widen the opening—of more businesses including restaurants, ho…
Along with a rising national movement calling for an end to racism and police reforms, Black Lives Matter protests have continued in Monterey …
The fast-changing Covid-19 restrictions on what can and can't be open are changing again. The state is still in stage 2 (out of four stages un…
The city of Monterey beach order that prohibited people from sitting on the beach in order to slow the spread of Covid-19 is coming to an end.…
PK Diffenbaugh is a little perplexed. As superintendent of Monterey Peninsula Unified School District, he’s wondering if people know what exac…
Maria Gonzalez remembers San Francisco’s late-night food offerings well. As bars shut down, food vendors emerged along the sidewalks of the Mi…
Over the past three months, restaurants, wineries and breweries have had to make major adjustments to survive during the Covid-19 pandemic. Th…
A shelter-in-place order means no leisure travel allowed, but that hasn’t stopped thousands of people from flowing into the Monterey Peninsula…
Early in the pandemic, the Big Sur International Marathon was part of a wave of spring events that were canceled or rescheduled. At that time,…
You can now come to Big Sur. Just don’t bring a tent and sleeping bag.
One perk of pandemic times is coming to an end in Monterey as of today, June 1: free parking.
Monterey and Santa Cruz counties have been cleared by the California Department of Public Health to advance to the next stage of reopening dur…
Monterey County Superior Court will be back in session for jury trials on Monday, June 1. A shelter-in-place order is still in effect in Monte…
After two weeks of no new deaths linked to Covid-19, Monterey County officials reported two new deaths on Friday, May 29, bringing the total to 10.
IT DIDN’T SINK IN RIGHT AWAY THAT ALL THE CHERISHED SENIOR-YEAR TRADITIONS STUDENTS WERE LOOKING FORWARD TO WERE ABOUT TO VANISH BEFORE THEIR …
The economic damage to Monterey County, as the Covid-19 outbreak turned into a pandemic in March and most businesses were ordered to shut down…
HELTER SHELTER… Squid has stuck close to home during Monterey County’s shelter-in-place order, finding the outdoors much too peopley, as in, t…
For most people, $13.5 million sounds like a lot of money. For Matt Morgan, CFO at Montage Health, it’s not enough. That’s because the grants …
Covid-19 has created a lot of confusion, including over how to interpret the Monterey County shelter-in-place order issued April 3, which is s…
The first nights sleeping at the Oldemeyer Center were restless for Seaside Fire Capt. Jason Black. He and his crew had finished bringing over…
In pre-pandemic times, the Pacific Grove City Council appeared to be confidently heading for a ballot measure in the November 3 election propo…
The Monterey County Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 today, May 26, to formally ask the governor to approve the next stage of reopening local bu…
Is Monterey County ready to reopen its economy? That is the big-picture question facing the County Board of Supervisors when they meet today, …
It’s perhaps a cruel joke that in the midst of California’s stay-at-home order, Friday, May 22, is National Road Trip Day.
I frequently receive communications reflecting on the unprecedented times in which we live. While specifics of the Covid-19 pandemic are uniqu…
At least one barrier to the reopening of the local economy came down this week.
On Thursday morning, May 21, Jeffrey LeTowt of The Tuck Box had his day in court. Or at least his first day of several.
On May 15, as patrons at his restaurant were enjoying a sunny day and food and drink in Carmel, The Tuck Box owner Jeff LeTowt was having what…
Dean Hidalgo has made many road trips along Highway 101 from Los Angeles to San Jose, and each time he would blink and miss a gem of Monterey County.
It’s a little tricky teaching recruits how to drive a police car over Zoom. There are online simulations, but when it comes down to it, nothin…
In her 245-square-foot studio apartment, Whitney Clark has decorated according to feng shui principles, with a purple rug in the bathroom for …
In April, during the first full month of the lockdown, water demand on the Monterey Peninsula dropped by 15 percent compared to the same month…
Carmel restaurant owner Jeffrey LeTowt wanted a fight and it looks like he's getting one.
Renters worried about the upcoming end of an eviction moratorium approved by the Monterey County Board of Supervisors in mid-March have a litt…
It’s been good fishing in Monterey Bay this year but for the past three months local sport fishermen and women have been left high and dry on …
Monterey County has another Covid-19 testing site up and running, and based on demand, staffing will be doubled.
While other Carmel restaurants are obeying the county’s shelter-in-place order by either remaining closed or offering take-out service, it’s b…
Recently the state of California and the Monterey County Health Department made two free Covid-19 testing sites available in the Salinas Valle…
A 74-year-old Latina woman and an 89-year-old African American man, both from the Salinas area, are the latest to die from complications due t…
Officials tried to warn the owner of The Tuck Box, Carmel’s historic English tea room and restaurant, three times that he was violating Monter…
The show will not go on this year.
In early March when the Monterey County Public Health Lab received its first batch of Covid-19 test kits, the message to the public was: Don’t…
When U.S. Forest Service officials last updated their announcement about the closure of roads and trails in Los Padres National Forest, on Apr…
There was little in 20 years of retail experience that prepared Mia Cruz, owner of Bliss Boutiques in Salinas and Monterey, for what happened …
In early March, Shirel Kahane-Rapport was sailing in the frigid waters off Antarctica and had not yet heard the news. There was little contact…
Last week, as I was headed home from my daily shelter-in-place walk through Oldtown Salinas, one of the affable security guards who patrols th…
What Maurizio Cutrignelli has in mind when he opened Osteria Al Mare in the second floor of a building at the base of the Coast Guard Pier was…
The Wendy Root Askew volunteer celebration rally on May 1 was in many ways a typical campaign rally. There was live music and speeches by elec…
The Weekly is tracking hospitalizations in Monterey County of people who have tested positive for the Covid-19 or who are suspected of having …
As the number of Covid-19 cases gets higher, the level of detail the Monterey County Health Department reports gets sharper. That's because th…
Nearly two months after California's Supreme Court chief justice suspended jury trials for 60 days in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic,…
State law requires all companies with 75 or more workers to give notice of layoffs or closures. Normally, these WARN notices—Worker Adjustment…
Phase two of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s four-phase plan to reopen the state goes into effect today, May 8, which means local last-minute Mother’s Day…
After schools across the county closed their doors due to Covid-19 and students transitioned to online distance leaning, many have struggled b…
The Monterey Recreation Division staff was still weighing on Monday, May 4, whether it could offer any type of summer camps during the Covid-1…
In June 2018, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors was facing a multimillion-dollar budget shortfall and the proposed elimination of dozen…
I’m scared. At 30 years old, I lost my job and had to come home and somehow explain to my then-pregnant wife, Marissa, that it wasn’t my fault…
Summer camp is a rite of passage for kids and a necessity for working parents but, like every aspect of life since Covid-19, its existence thi…
As Covid-19 spread across the globe approaching pandemic status, Monterey County’s four hospitals were already planning for a surge of patient…
RED LIGHT, GREEN LIGHT… Squid’s used sheltering in place to perfect Squid’s shrimp-flavored popcorn recipe, take long naps, scroll through Squ…
On a sunny afternoon in April, a Home Depot truck backs up into Cortni Knox’s driveway in Seaside to deliver her new, stainless steel, “super …
Remember when they said if shelter-in-place worked, we would all get angry and be in upheaval. Well, here we are. Shelter-in-place worked/s (“…
It's one of the silver linings of a pandemic and economic crisis: innovative solutions and partnerships. One such innovation—meant to help pro…
Nearly 55 people considered vulnerable during the Covid-19 pandemic who need a safe place to isolate themselves are being housed in Monterey C…
Two new Covid-19 testing sites have opened in Monterey County. The locations—one at the Greenfield branch of Monterey County Free Libraries, l…
Monterey County growers have plowed under or left unplanted more than 2,000 acres since the Covid-19 pandemic reached the area, according to a…
Local officials announced on May 2 the opening of Covid-19 testing sites in Salinas and Greenfield as a part of a state-wide to make testing m…
It’s the end of grades as we know them.
American flags were raised high and bright red "Make America Great Again" hats sprinkled the crowd. Nearly 100 protesters gathered at Window o…
The new Monterey County shelter-in-place order is requiring residents to hunker down for at least one more month, to May 31, but some activiti…
The Mee Memorial Healthcare System had already made some painful cuts to staff and services in 2019 and now the Covid-19 pandemic is forcing e…
After people swarmed beaches when the sun came out in Southern California last weekend, Gov. Gavin Newsom was expected shut down all beaches i…
On a recent sunny morning in downtown Carmel, the smell of bacon wafted out of the Village Corner restaurant. Normally on a day like this, the…
The coronavirus epidemic and the subsequent public health shelter-in-place order that froze construction, among other industries, arrived just…
At Main Street Bakery, across the street from Salinas High and just a short walk from City Hall and the Monterey County Government Center, own…
That toilet paper became a precious commodity as people panic-purchased in the opening weeks of the shelter-in-place order didn’t come as a hu…
When Gabriel Flores arrived in Salinas from Los Angeles to do his medical residency at Natividad, he expected his work might include some comm…
OK KAREN… Squid sat in front of the television, transfixed by news reports of “Liberate” protests taking place around the country. Biped mamma…
Being a hotelier or short-term rental owner became tricky after the county’s shelter-in-place order was issued. Many hotels and inns around th…
On March 19, the very first week of the county’s shelter-in-place order, I wrote a column in which I stated, “People are suffering. People wil…
Jeremy Turner | Working at the Wharf
Effective at midnight tonight, a face-covering rule takes effect in Monterey County. The idea is that by blocking our noses and mouths when we…
The number of confirmed Covid-19 cases among Monterey County residents is up to 191, according to the latest Health Department data. Almost ev…
Starting Thursday, residents of Monterey County will be required to cover their faces while venturing outside their homes in a new county Heal…
The 110th California Rodeo Salinas is moving from July 16-19 to October 8-11, after organizers learned the shelter-in-place order was going to…
Just days after County Health Officer Edward Moreno said that the public should expect a requirement to wear masks or face coverings when in p…
Spartan is the word that best describes the accommodations at the Monterey County Fairgrounds, where Monterey County officials are working on …
Faced with uncertainty about when we can again pack concert halls, Bach Festival cancels 2020 event.
Over 85 years, since it was founded, the Carmel Bach Festival has put on concerts big and small. There are choral ensembles in churches, conte…
Right before Easter weekend, City Manager Ben Harvey gave the Pacific Grove Police Department the authority to immediately shut down any outdo…
With the shelter-in-place order, everyone has a few challenges, especially parents. Every parent wonders about managing their bundles of energ…
Beer and cider sales are up 20 percent across the country during this extended coronavirus lockdown, which makes sense considering that drinki…
More than 25 people have been hospitalized and four people have died as of the latest Covid-19 numbers for Monterey County, but there is a hid…
First, the good news: Monterey County's shelter-in-place order is working, keeping the doubling rate of Covid-19 cases to about 14 days—a win …
The Federal Aviation Administration is cutting the hours the air traffic control tower is open at Monterey Regional Airport and about 100 othe…
April is traditionally the time car aficionados preparing to show their collectible cars during Monterey County's Car Week in August have to g…
Richard Kuehn has spent the past 10 years building a business that sends caregivers into seniors’ homes throughout the Monterey Peninsula to a…
With limited flights and government restrictions on medical exports out of China, some in Monterey County are turning to personal connections …
On March 31, Chris Sommers, managing director of the Monterey Plaza Hotel & Spa, sent a letter to the county Board of Supervisors that jus…
“The CARES Act works for ALL Americans,” touts the U.S. Treasury website, the agency dispensing $2 trillion worth of stimulus checks, Paycheck…
Isolation is often the enemy of those struggling with addictions, making what’s supposed to keep people safe in a pandemic dangerous for those…
For the last few years Patricia Hamilton has spent a month each year vacationing in Álamos, Mexico. This year was a special occasion: her frie…
Todd and Jordan Champagne are no strangers to culinary survival techniques. Consider that 20 years ago, they could be spotted hovering over a …
UPDATED April 30: On Wednesday, April 29, Monterey City Council voted unanimously to implement the proposed layoff plan.
The dollar figure might not look like much compared to the federal CARES Act (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security), which started a…
Teachers, students and administrators have gotten through the initial shock of closing schools and transitioning to remote learning. Systems w…
