Latest Saratoga Coronavirus Updates

SARATOGA, CA — The new coronavirus outbreak in Santa Clara County and across the nation continues to affect Saratoga, where schools remain shuttered and businesses have been closed in an effort to slow the spread of the virus.

The number of COVID-19 illnesses continues to rise with more than 2,600 confirmed cases and 58 deaths statewide as of Wednesday. Santa Clara County has had one of the state's worst outbreaks, reporting 459 cases as of Tuesday afternoon, including 17 deaths.

Here are the latest local updates from Saratoga:

>>>See statewide updates and news here

SCHOOLS

On Wednesday, education officials in Santa Clara County and five other Bay Area counties announced that public school closures will be extended through May 1 due to the outbreak.

"The safety and wellness of students, school personnel, and the community are the highest priorities of all schools and districts in these six counties," the six counties said in a news release.

Education offices in each county have been working together to align strategies since the Bay Area's shelter-in-place order was issued March 16 by each county's health officers, they said.

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TESTING

This week, officials announced that a Santa Clara County Jail inmate as well as four sheriff's deputies had all tested positive for COVID-19.

The county's Director of Communications and Public Affairs also tested positive this week, and is isolating at home, officials said.

A stockpile drive for much-needed medical supplies is also underway in the county.

END IN SIGHT?

Meanwhile, a Stanford University professor predicted this week that the coronavirus crisis here may slow down, based on data from China's outbreak.

"What we need is to control the panic," Michael Leavitt, a Nobel-winning biophysicist, told the Los Angeles Times. "We're going to be fine."

Full coronavirus coverage: California Coronavirus: Live Updates On Cases, Closures, Orders