Subject: County of Ventura Response to July 2nd MICOP and CAUSE Joint Statement and July 21st Board of Supervisor Meeting Comments
The County of Ventura commends the efforts of MICOP and CAUSE to address the impacts of COVID-19 on Ventura County farmworkers and their families. Farmworkers are vital members of our community that are essential to not only our economy but to providing food for the nation. Since the very onset of the pandemic the County has worked to stem the spread of COVID-19 in our communities and especially among those who are most vulnerable. As you may recall, the County of Ventura’s Public Health Officer did not hesitate to issue a public alert on March 3, 2020 advising the community to practice social distancing well before any community spread that was evidenced locally. This action was meaningful and likely slowed the spread of the virus in our community. Subsequently, on March 12, a Public Health Emergency was declared and since then the County’s Public Health Officer has abided by State guidance and orders.
Since these initial reactions to the threat and impact of COVID-19, the Public Health Department and the County of Ventura has been working aggressively to secure needed resources, establish testing sites, provide information and direction. These efforts have included working with the hospital systems to assure that each health system would have the capacity to meet the demands of COVID-19. We believe the swift and extensive response has resulted in an overall lower per capita infection rate as compared to our neighboring counties and many other counties across the state.
Along with the initial and continued response to COVID-19 a comprehensive effort has been made to communicate, educate, provide guidance and secure needed resources so the public can access testing and health care services. Like you, we are aware that COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted some communities at a greater rate than others, including the elderly and the Latino community, including a substantial portion of the farmworker community. Like you, we are very concerned for the well-being and protection of our farmworker community and have focused a significant amount of resources and attention to assure their continued safety.
We provide the following information as a summary of… (Read more)
