By George Miller
Ventura County will extend its pandemic stay at home order to May 15, with some modifications. A formal order should be issued by the end of the week. It will likely mean that schools won’t open for a while, social distancing will continue and many businesses will continue to be closed. County Supt of Education Stan Mantooth said all public schools in the county are closed. He added that various distance learning strategies are being implemented. School meals are still available as takeout- for locations, see: www.vcoe.org.
See April 13 video on VCEMERGENCY video page.
Public Health Officer Doctor Robert Levin (4/13 press conference photo above) said masks aren’t required, but are a good idea. He has no plans to change that.
Regarding a business/social plan, forms are on the county website.
Director of Human Services Agency, Melissa Livingston, said that the agency provides temporary cash and food assistance, health care coverage through MediCal, housing/homeless assistance, in-home support for low income seniors/disabled and help for job seekers. Contact VCSHA.org, edd.ca.gov, 866-904-9362.
Victoria Jump of the Agency on Aging, says they offer services for older/disabled adults. vcemergency.com, 805-477-7300
VC CEO Michael Powers said that the public’s adherence to the orders is “flattening the curve’ and saving lives. He also said they were working on a road to reopening- modified orders, more diagnostic testing, and immunity testing. He and Levin are worried about a potential surge in cases if the orders are rescinded too quickly. He lauded those who are making masks with 3D printing techniques and thanked those who had donated.
The current order doesn’t allow religious services, even with full social distancing and sanitation, a point contested by Thousand Oaks Pastor Rob McCoy, of Calvary Chapel Godspeak, who conducted a single Palm Sunday live communion, with only 10 at a time in the church and procedures that would put some hospitals to shame. He was outraged that marijuana shops and abortion mills were considered more “essential” than worshiping the Lord. In any case, CCG has made the church’s services available on line for a long time.
The wording of the current order says that non-essential goods shouldn’t be sold. This has not only closed many businesses, but also caused some open shops to refrain from selling so-called “nonessential” goods, even in stores that sell essential goods. An associate told me today that he was unable to buy crayons for his stuck-at-home toddlers at a Target store. We have seen entire sections closed in some stores. Does this really make our community safer? County beaches and parks are closed, but compliance hasn’t been 100% Oxnard beaches and parks are open, except for playgrounds, rest rooms, dog parks and the skate park. Oxnard beaches are usually uncrowded year-round, especilly in non-summer times. No problem at all maintaining social distance and people have been going out of their way to do so.
Previous announcements
See: https://www.vcemergency.com/
- April 15, 2020 – Agricultural Commissioner Issues Advisory for Agricultural Worker Protection During COVID-19 Crisis (Español) | Advisory(Español)
VENTURA, Calif. – The County of Ventura, in a collaboration with the County Executive Office, the Farmworker Resource Program, Farm Bureau of Ventura County, Ventura County Agricultural Association, Reiter Affiliated Companies, Lideres Campesinas en California, Good Farms, Brokaw Ranch and the Agricultural Commissioner’s Office, has issued an Advisory for Agricultural Worker Protection to be used during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Read more…
- April 9, 2020 – Public Health Officer Issues New Stay Well at Home Order |
New Public Health Order | Appendix A Social Distancing Protocol Form | Hospital Holding Unit Guidance for COVID-19Ventura, CA – Ventura County Public Health Officer Doctor Robert Levin has enhanced the Stay Well At Home order to save lives and stop the spread of COVID-19 in the County of Ventura. The Order supplements the Health Officer’s Orders dated March 17, 20 and 31, 2020. All prior Orders issued by the Health Officer remain in effect except where modified by the provisions of the latest Order. Read more…
- April 7, 2020 – District Attorney Investigating Price Gouging Complaints (source: District Attorney Website March 20, 2020) | Español
VENTURA, California – District Attorney Gregory D. Totten announced today that the District Attorney’s Office has initiated several investigations against county businesses for potential violations of Penal Code section 396, price gouging. Read more…
- April 7, 2020 – Law Enforcement Warns Against Price Gouging (soruce: District Attorney Website March 17, 2020) | Español
Ventura County law enforcement agencies want to warn local retailers and businesses about price gouging. Pursuant to Governor Newsom’s March 4, 2020, state of emergency declaration in response to the COVID-19 virus, businesses, retailers, and other service or goods providers may not charge a price that is more than 10 percent higher of the price that existed prior to the declaration. Covered goods and services include: food, emergency supplies, medical supplies, building materials, gasoline, transportation, freight and storage services, hotel accommodations, and rental housing. Goods and service providers may charge more than 10 percent only if their costs have increased. These prohibitions are in effect until September 4, 2020. Read more…
- April 2, 2020 – New public health comments about masks | Face Mask Flyer
- Mar. 31, 2020 – Modified Stay Well at Home Public Health Order | Español
- Mar. 23, 2020 – Personal Protective Equipment Donations Needed for Local Hospitals, First Responders and Medical Facilities in Ventura County | Español
- Mar. 23, 2020 – An Important Message from Law Enforcement | Español
- Mar. 20, 2020 – Stay Well At Home: In effect Friday, March 20, 11:59 pm (Español) | Stay Well at Home Order (Español)
- Mar. 18, 2020, 6:51 p..m. – COVID-19 Update | Español
- Mar. 18, 2020 – Mar. 18, 2020 – SBA Offers Disaster Assistance to Small Businesses in California Economically Impacted by Coronavirus (COVID-19) | Español
- Mar. 18, 2020 – 5 Community Transmission Cases Announced | Español
- Mar. 17, 2020 – County of Ventura Government Buildings Closing to Public Effective March 18 | Español || Public Health Order | Español
- Mar. 16, 2020 – Ventura County Public Health Provides Guidance on COVID-19 Testing | Español
- Mar. 14, 2020 – Child’s Results Negative from Children’s Hospital LA and VC Public Health | Español
- Mar. 13, 2020 – 2 Presumptive Positive Cases Announced | Español
- Mar. 13, 2020 – Ventura County School Closures (vcemergency.com)
- Mar. 12, 2020 – County of Ventura Declares Local Health Emergency in Response to Novel Coronavirus Activity | Declaration of Local Health Emergency | Español
- Mar. 11, 2020 – Ventura County Public Health COVID-19 Update: 2nd Presumptive Positive Case Reported | Español
- Mar. 06, 2020 – Ventura County Public Health reports one presumptive positive case of COVID-19 | Español
- Mar. 03, 2020 – Coronavirus (COVID-19) Preparedness: Public Health Urges Preparedness for Social Distancing | Español
- Feb. 28, 2020 – Public Health update novel coronavirus | Español
- Feb. 24, 2020 – Statement from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on potential use of Naval Base Ventura County – Point Mugu for quarantine | Español
- Feb. 13, 2020 – Update from Ventura County Public Health: Test Results are Negative for Pending Novel Coronavirus Case in Ventura County | Español
- Feb. 10, 2020 – Update from Ventura County Public Health on 2019 Novel Coronavirus | Español
- Feb. 5, 2020 – What you need to know about 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) | Español
- Feb. 2, 2020 – Ventura County Public Health Department Safety Alert – Novel Coronavirus | Español
George Miller is Publisher/Co-Founder of CitizensJournal.us and a “retired” operations management consultant residing in Oxnard.
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