2,000 Layoff Notices Around The County
By Jondi Gumz
On April 30, Santa Cruz County Health Officer, Dr. Gail Newel, revised her March 16 order to shelter in place and close nonessential businesses to slow the spread of COVID-19, allowing construction, landscaping, garden shops, and golf courses to resume as long as they meet social distancing requirements.
Capitola Library Construction Site
“Outdoor activities are low risk,” she explained.
The lifting of some restrictions comes in the wake of employers throughout Santa Cruz County — hotels, restaurants, retailers and even health care — filing layoff notices affecting 2,000 workers.
Newel also will allow real estate activities, sales of new and used vehicles, summer kids’ camps in groups of 12 and non-emergency medical services such as dentistry, mammography, elective surgery and well-child visits.
She did not change the restrictions on lodging businesses, which can accommodate only health care workers, someone caring for a sick person, and workers at an essential business.
After a peak of eight new cases March 25, there have been one to three new cases each day for the past week. Restrictions led to Santa Cruz County leading the state in slowing the spread.
As of April 30, there were 131 cases, 19 of which required hospitalization at one point, two deaths, 3,573 negative tests and 88 recoveries. Two people were in the hospital, one in intensive care.
“We’re in this for a long time until we can get a vaccine or some other therapy to give us relief,” Newel said Tuesday, putting the time frame at 18 months to two years. “We’re looking at ways to make it sustainable … We need to have a community that’s employed.”
Here are some of the layoffs:
- Manufacturer Fox Factory 59 in Scotts Valley and 39 in Watsonville, totaling 198, and 1440 Multiversity in Scotts Valley, 149.
- Cinelux in Scotts Valley and Capitola, 54.
- Santa Cruz Dream Inn, 191; Chaminade, 173, and Seacliff Inn, 65.
- In Capitola, Shadowbrook, 152; Companion Bakeshop, 51.
- Ross Stores, 177 total, 70 in Watsonville, 56 in Santa Cruz and 51 in Capitola.
- Kohl’s, 71 in Capitola.
- Forever 21 in Santa Cruz, 34.
- Costco, seven more employees in addition to 20 laid off earlier.
- Toyota of Santa Cruz, 22, and Santa Cruz Subaru, 8.
- Coastal Nursery in Watsonville, 110.
- Watsonville Community Hospital laid off six workers due to the cancellation of elective surgeries and procedures and then furloughed 22 more until July 13.
- Western Dental laid off 22 employees in Watsonville and 18 in Santa Cruz.
- Trumpet Behavioral Health reduced hours for nine employees. CEO Ned Carlson reported many clients declined the offer of in-home services.
The new health order, which takes effect May 2, can be found at www.santacruzhealth.org/coronavirus.