California coronavirus updates: The latest on the pandemic

Today, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that schools serving more than 5 million students across the state will not be reopening for in-person instruction this fall. Image via iStock

Education

Nearly all California schools ordered to shut down. Online classes mandatory

Education for at least 90% of the state will have to be held online. Schools cannot reopen unless their county's coronavirus infections and hospitalizations are stable.

By

Ricardo Cano

• July 17, 2020

california coronavirus contact tracing merced

Health

Without a trace: This California county has stopped contact tracing as coronavirus surges

Merced County promised 42 tracers to interview infected people. But it’s not actually tracing. “All of us got sick, and the county didn’t do anything to help us.”

By

Rebecca Sohn

• July 16, 2020

Closures and false starts have been harsh for California business owners and employees seeking stability. Image via iStock

Economy

After more coronavirus closures, how deep will California’s recession go?

Forget the notion of a V-shaped recovery. Unemployment leveled off around 16% in May, but a retreat to isolation and the end of some relief funds could lengthen the state’s economic recovery — and deepen inequality.

By

Lauren Hepler

• July 16, 2020

State health officials took control of the Rose Garden and Legacy Healthcare nursing homes in Pasadena after learning that the home's operator couldn't pay rent or staff, as the coronavirus pandemic loomed.. Photo by Karlene Goller for CalMatters

Coronavirus

The gathering storm: How the state seized control of two troubled nursing homes as coronavirus crisis loomed

Once a rarity, state takeovers of on-the-edge nursing homes are expected to become more common as the pandemic tips facilities further into chaos.

By

Barbara Feder Ostrov

• July 15, 2020

People wait in line at a Covid-19 testing facility sponsored by the Native American Health Center on International Boulevard near 31st Avenue in Oakland on July 7, 2020. Photo by Jane Tyska, Bay Area News Group

Coronavirus

The new COVID-19 rationing: Testing just got harder to get in California

The state announced a new tiered system that gives testing priority to patients hospitalized with COVID-19 symptoms, and those linked to outbreaks.

By

Ana B. Ibarra

• July 14, 2020

A masked bartender pours a drink at Ristorante Allegria in downtown Napa on May 22, 2020 as restaurants were permitted to reopen for indoor dining. Today, Gov. Newsom announced the closure of all indoor dining, bars and movie theaters state-wide. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters

Economy

Newsom closes indoor businesses statewide; clamps down further on some counties

As coronavirus cases and hospitalizations continue to spike, California Gov. Gavin Newsom closes indoor activities at restaurants, wineries, movie theaters, museums and card rooms while also ordering breweries and bars to close all operations, indoors and out.

By

Ana B. Ibarra

• July 13, 2020

A phlebotomist takes a finger prick blood sample at a drive-thru COVID-19 testing site in Bolinas on April 22, 2020. Bolinas is attempting to test the entire town in conjunction with a UCSF study, one of the first efforts of its kind in California. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters

Coronavirus

Hit or miss: Californians describe vastly different COVID-19 testing experiences

Coronavirus testing in California has been a challenge since day one, and Gov. Gavin Newsom is expected to announce a new testing strategy soon.

By

Ana B. Ibarra

• July 12, 2020

A Clinica de la Raza staff member sanitizes her hands after administering Covid-19 tests in a parking lot along 35th Avenue near the Fruitvale BART station in Oakland on July 7, 2020. According to data provided by the Alameda County Public Health Department, Fruitvale’s 94601 ZIP code has one of the highest rates of COVID-19 cases of any ZIP code in Alameda County. Photo by Jane Tyska, Bay Area News Group

Coronavirus

A grim tally: Newsom puts brave face on California’s COVID-19 surge

After being the first state to impose a stay-at-home order, California faces a battery of grim statistics as the state reopened - and is now poised to potentially send millions of children back to school next month.

By

Barbara Feder Ostrov

and

Ana B. Ibarra

• July 8, 2020

Coronavirus

The virus and the vulnerable: Latino children suffer higher rates of COVID-19

Latino children are testing positive at higher rates than other groups of children, accounting for the majority of all California cases among those under 18. Experts say close contact with essential workers and crowded living conditions play a role.

By

Elizabeth Aguilera

• July 7, 2020

Festival attendees bike through the desert at Burning Man. Photo by BLM Nevada via Creative Commons

Economy

6 curious takeaways from California’s small-business loans

From Silicon Valley startups to Gavin Newsom’s wine business, a rundown of who got what from the federal coronavirus business loan program.

By

Lauren Hepler

• July 6, 2020