Kern, 7 Other Valley Counties Declared Covid Hotspots, Will Get Money From Sacramento

Kern, 7 Other Valley Counties Declared Covid Hotspots, Will Get Money From Sacramento

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – California is sending strike teams and tens of millions of dollars into Kern and 7 other Central Valley counties struggling to contain the coronavirus. The eight counties Gov. Gavin Newsom referenced Monday are Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Merced, San Joaquin, Tulare and Stanislaus counties. Newsom said all have test positivity rates between roughly 11% and 18%. That’s above the state’s goal of 8%. The focus on the Central Valley comes after Newsom pledged to do more to help California Latinos fight the virus. Latinos are the majority of workers in many essential jobs in those heavily agricultural counties.