With everything happening with the coronavirus pandemic, we at BenitoLink want to provide a roundup of recent articles, as well as closures and cancellations happening in San Benito County.
As of 4:30 p.m. on April 2, there are 23 confirmed cases in San Benito County since February, 11 of which are active, 11 recovered and one death. For the most updated information, visit the San Benito County COVID-19 Dashboard.
Recent Articles
Stay informed and stay safe: a few words from BenitoLink’s executive director—The virus ‘calls on us to do more and to make sure we are serving our readers well.’
San Benito County puts moratorium on evictions through May 31—In response to coronavirus, residential and commercial tenants cannot be evicted for non-payment of rent or foreclosure.
Hollister Cannabis Co. donates hand sanitizer—Bottles are being distributed to most vulnerable and frontline workers.Â
County jail releases 35 inmates vulnerable to COVID-19—None showed symptoms and all received a judge’s approval.
SBC Behavioral Health helps with donations and housing assistance—Department has been able to issue funds to help the homeless and at-risk of homelessness population with mental illness.
Cancellations and Postponements
-San Benito County Integrated Waste Management has canceled this month’s hazardous waste event at John Smith Landfill. The event was scheduled for April 18.
-The American Red Cross has cancelled its 2020 Farm to Table Dinner. The annual dinner, an important fundraising event that supports services the local Red Cross chapter provides to residents of the Central Coast, had been scheduled to take place on June 7 at Carmel Valley Ranch. The event will be rescheduled for an undetermined future date. More information about this cancellation can be found on the Farm to Table web page.
Government
-Today in his daily Facebook Live press conference, Governor Gavin Newsom focused on small business. He said the state is working on a small business loan in the form of small businesses not needing to submit their sales tax to the state for a year. They are also looking at a $50 million infrastructure loan that would make loans available to businesses that do not qualify for the SBA Emergency and Injury loan.
The April 3 news conference will focus on California homeless and COVID-19. Press conferences begin at noon and run for about an hour. For more state information on COVID-19, go to covid19.ca.gov
-The U.S. Department of Labor has issued a new rule regarding paid sick leave during the COVID-19 pandemic:
- Provides direction for administration of the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act, which requires that certain employers provide up to 80 hours of paid sick leave to employees who need to take leave from work for certain specified reasons related to COVID-19. These reasons may include the following:
- the employee or someone the employee is caring for is subject to a government quarantine order or has been advised by a health care provider to self-quarantine
- the employee is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and is seeking medical attention
- the employee is caring for a child whose school or place of care is closed or whose child care provider is unavailable for reasons related to COVID-19
- Provides direction for the effective administration of the Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act, which requires that certain employers provide up to 10 weeks of paid, and two weeks unpaid, emergency family and medical leave to eligible employees if the employee is caring for a child whose school or place of care is closed or whose child care provider is unavailable for reasons related to COVID-19
More information here.
-At the urging of Congressman Jimmy Panetta and other members of Congress, the U.S. Department of Treasury announced that Social Security beneficiaries will now not need to file tax returns, and will automatically receive direct relief payments. See letter here.
Businesses
-Save Mart/Lucky stores have added dedicated shopping hours for first responders (law enforcement, fire and medical personnel). Starting April 2, stores will be open one hour before and one hour after posted store hours every day. First responders will need to provide proof of credentials to access dedicated shopping.
-The Monterey County Business Council and the Cal Coastal Small Business Development Center’s Director Cindy Merzon will be broadcasting a free webinar on April 3 at 10 a.m. to discuss disaster loan opportunities for small businesses. Register here
Tips to avoid COVID-19:
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available.
- Avoid touching your face with unwashed hands.
- Keep a minimum of a six feet physical distance from others.
- Avoid people who are sick.
- Stay at home. Only leave to take care of essential errands.
- Cover your cough and sneeze.
- Disinfect frequently touched objects.
- If you think you might be infected call your health care professional and follow their directions.
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BenitoLink is a nonprofit news website that reports on San Benito County. Our team is working around the clock during this time when accurate information is essential. It is expensive to produce local news and community support is what keeps the news flowing. Please consider supporting BenitoLink, San Benito County’s news.
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