![Microscopic view of Coronavirus, a pathogen that attacks the respiratory tract. (Shutterstock illustration)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0320_blog_coronavirustesting_lead.jpg?1584569724)
Where California Stands with Coronavirus Testing Right Now
Coronavirus testing has been plagued by confusion, delays and chaos, with the number of available, usable tests far outstripped by the need. The situation, health care providers and experts say, has impaired their ability to know how many people have the virus — but a significantly larger number, they suspect, than that confirmed by state and federal officials.
![Oakland Technical High School students leave campus after an announcement that all Oakland schools would close for the pandemic, March 13, 2020. (Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/update_photo_1.jpg?1584558516)
Newsom: Coronavirus Likely to Close California Schools for Rest of the Year
In a stunning announcement that revealed disruption from the coronavirus is far from over, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Tuesday that California schools will remain closed not just until sometime next month, as most announced over the weekend, but probably for the rest of the school year.
![Laney College has cancelled all classes through April 6 due to coronavirus concerns, while faculty train to teach online. (Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/online_learning_photo_3.jpg?1584557320)
California Colleges Are Going Online. How Ready Are They?
California is about to embark on an enormous, unplanned experiment in remote learning — and no one knows how long it will last.
![Assemblymember Evan Low wears a protective mask on the floor as lawmakers gather to address the coronavirus emergency. (Photo by Laurel Rosenhall for CalMatters)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/capitol_photo.jpeg?1584482375)
Legislature Passes $1.1 Billion in Emergency Coronavirus Funding — Then Leaves the Capitol
In an urgent attempt to prepare California for a surge of critically ill coronavirus patients, state lawmakers Monday allocated up to $1 billion for an unprecedented ramp-up of hospital capacity, and then, in an extraordinary move, went home for a month — or perhaps longer — effectively shutting down business at the state Capitol as Americans face growing calls to isolate themselves.
![Bartender Jocelyn Cano serves customers (L-R) Robert Dyba, Crace Celi and Taylor Celli at Midtown Sacramento’s Tropics Ale House Sunday afternoon as Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg outlined guidelines for Sacramento’s bars and restaurants just a few blocks away. (Photos by Steve Martarano)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/march_15_2020coronavirus_impacts-2.jpg?1584390354)
Local Businesses Struggle as Coronavirus Changes Our Daily Lives
On a bleary Monday morning in Sacramento with the Dow Jones industrial average tanking, on its way to a 2,997 point drop and its worst day since 1987, Greater Sacramento Economic Council President and CEO Barry Broome offered advice for local business owners that he knows won’t be popular.
![(Shutterstock photo)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/shutterstock_234023125.jpg?1584391292)
California Utilities Suspend Shutoffs in Response to Coronavirus
Six utilities serving more than 21 million Californians have announced that they will not shut off customers’ power for nonpayment as the coronavirus continues to disrupt daily life.
![Signs directed reporters to sit several feet apart from each other in the governor’s press conference room on March 12, 2020, to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Photo by Laurel Rosenhall/CalMatters](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/cv_crackdown_photo.jpg?1584130380)
Facing Pandemic, California Takes Cover, from the Capitol to Disneyland
California’s governor took extraordinary action on Thursday, clamping down on public gatherings, ordering residents to follow public health rules, authorizing the state to commandeer hotels and medical facilities and whipping emergency officials into action to proactively stem the spread of the novel coronavirus.
![As California’s coronavirus strategy has moved from containment to mitigation, the health care workers on the first line of response to the epidemic are also finding themselves on the front line of potential infection. (Shutterstock illustration)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/shutterstock_1629512083.jpg?1583965622)
As Coronavirus Toll Rises, So Does Health Care Workers’ Alarm
As California’s coronavirus strategy has moved from containment to mitigation, the health care workers on the first line of response to the epidemic are also finding themselves on the front line of potential infection.
![Pauline Torres launched the DapIt in 2018 with her husband, Cesar Torres. (Photo by Terence Duffy)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0320_dept_startup_terenceduffy.jpg?1582580999)
Startup of the Month: DapIt
Digital gift cards give small businesses a boost
With gift cards continuing to soar in popularity, a Woodland-based startup aims to bring their convenience to small businesses while cutting down on plastic.