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SUNDAY, JANUARY 3, 2021
School board will hear virus update Reopening back on agenda BY JEFF HUDSON Enterprise staff writer On Thursday evening, Jan. 7, the Davis school board will assess the status of the coronavirus pandemic in Yolo County, after hearing an update from Yolo County Health Officer Dr. Aimee Sisson. The school board trustees will hear a presentation by school district staff describing several different scenarios for the eventual return of students and teachers to BOWES school classroom, Superintendent and consider an appropriate timeline for the resumption of classroom learning. In addition, the trustees are likely to discuss Gov. Gavin Newsom’s recently announced “Safe Schools for All” initiative — a proposed $2 billion program that would offer local districts a number of financial incentives to reopen elementary schools to students and teachers during the early months of 2021. (The fine details of the governor’s proposal, which was announced at a press conference on Wednesday, Dec. 30, are
SEE UPDATE, PAGE A4
Sac region to remain under stay-at-home order BY ANNE TERNUS-BELLAMY Enterprise staff writer The greater Sacramento region’s ICU capacity dropped to 6.9 percent on Saturday and is expected to remain below 15 percent for the foreseeable future, according to the California Department of Public Health. That means the region — which includes Yolo County — will remain under a stay-at-home order that bans all gatherings with members of more than one household, requires everyone to stay at home except for essential work and activities, closes hair salons, curtails retail capacity and limits restaurants to take-out and
SEE STAY, PAGE A2
VOL. 124, NO. 2
Locals line up in November for COVID testing at the Davis Senior Center. OWEN YANCHER/ ENTERPRISE FILE PHOTO
As fall arrived, crisis got worse ■ Editor’s note: This is the second part in a series on the COVID-19 crisis in 2020.
BY ANNE TERNUS-BELLAMY Enterprise staff writer September seemed to offer a measure of hopefulness as Yolo County entered Month 6 of the COVID-19 pandemic. New cases of the novel coronavirus were declining during the strict lockdown measures that came with the county’s placement in the purple tier of the state’s color-coded reopening blueprint. Early in the month, Woodland Christian School became the first in Yolo County to receive a waiver to reopen for
would expand into the city of Davis many of the programs and resources already in place on campus, the most significant of which was the saliva-based COVID-19 testing program. All students moving into campus housing in September were tested and that regular testing would soon expand to anyone entering campus before expanding to the community as a whole. On Sept. 29, cases of COVID19 had decreased enough for the state to move Yolo County to the red tier, clearing the way for restaurants, gyms, churches and more to reopen for indoor services. Bad news came too, though, as it had all year, in the form of
in-person instruction of students in grades K-6. Other schools, including Peregrine in Davis, Davis Waldorf School and Grace Valley Christian Academy soon followed. But public schools, including those in the Davis Joint Unified School District, remained closed. September also introduced the community to Healthy Davis Together, likely one of the brightest moments in Yolo County’s year of COVID. The joint effort between the city of Davis and UC Davis, Healthy Davis Together aimed to stem the spread of the virus both on campus and off. Building on UCD’s Campus Ready plan, Healthy Davis Together
cancellations: announcements that the beloved Davis Children’s Nutcracker would be canceled, as well as the downtown Halloween treat trail and the Davis downtown tree lighting ceremony. Still, September was, on balance, one of the better periods of 2020, a month in which Yolo County reported fewer than 400 cases of COVID-19 and three deaths. Some began expressing hope that a move to the less restrictive orange tier loomed, but the county’s interim health officer warned that with schools reopening and college students returning, orange might be a
SEE CRISIS, PAGE A5
Davis Ace employees allege retaliation amid positive tests BY CALEB HAMPTON Enterprise staff writer On Dec. 18, management at Davis Ace Hardware informed employees at the store that one of their co-workers tested positive for COVID-19. Despite the positive test result, the store would stay open, management said. Davis Ace had implemented public health protocols like masking and physical distancing, and it was gearing up for its holiday clearance sale. Within a few days, nearly a dozen employees were calling in sick. Most of them had
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symptoms consistent with the virus, they said. On Dec. 22, an employee asked Davis Ace management to guarantee hazard pay for employees or temporarily close the store, according to an account posted online by the Sacramento Solidarity Network, a volunteer group that advocates for workers’ rights.
“The (Davis Ace) team has worked very hard to be a safe and valuable community resource during this pandemic,” Schulein said. “Unfortunately claims to the contrary have been made, along with other false claims that we vehemently deny. It is disappointing that with our hard work, determination and
A Davis Ace employee confirmed to The Enterprise that the post was a firsthand account written by Davis Ace employees and posted by the Sacramento Solidarity Network to reach a wider audience.
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Davis Ace Hardware manager Mike Gunter declined to comment on his employees’ allegations. He directed inquiries from The Enterprise to Ace Hardware President Mark Schulein.
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Yolo County public health officials have been in contact with Davis Ace Hardware regarding the concerns raised by employees, public information officer Jenny Tan told The Enterprise. “The store manager has indicated that they have implemented all of the
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