Tri County Sentry

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The Tri County’s Only Multicultural Newspaper

The Tri County’s Only Multicultural Newspaper

TRI TRICOUNTY COUNTY

ENTRY ENTRY VOL. XXVIII NO. 12

MARCH 20, 2020

Covered California offers surprise grace-period enrollment extension n See page 11

Area residents explore new careers at

Port Job Fair

By Chris Frost chris@tricountysentry.com

Port Hueneme--Opportunity was knocking at the Port Hueneme Harbor District March 7, as the harbor hosted its first job fair and had a lot of positions available.

T

HE event featured over 200 local jobs. The huge crowd came armed with resumes in hand and ready to take the next step in their lives. Prospective employees got to investigate careers with the City of Port Hueneme Police and the recreation department of Port Hueneme, the Salvation Army, the U.S. Census Bureau, the Ventura County Fire Department, and more. Human Resources Consultant Matthew Kohagen ran the job fair. For the last seven weeks he's been lining

Eat Street Kitchen faces fallout from the coronavirus

By Chris Frost chris@tricountysentry.com Mission Viejo-- Opening a restaurant is a tough venture in 2020, as the latest statistics say more than 90 percent fail in the first year. Among the challenges that someone will face include finding the right staff, developing a menu that people enjoy, managing food and labor costs, and attracting customers to come in, try the food, and deliver the type of guest service that keeps them coming back. That was the challenge that Chef Katie Averill took on when she opened Eat Street Kitchen in 2019. Her restaurant is open for breakfast and lunch six days a week in a busy section of Mission Viejo. It was going well until the coronavirus struck. Now the "Breakfast Chick" is

worried, as she faces a situation she calls surreal. Averill plans to keep operating her restaurant until someone tells her that she has to stay closed. "I needed eggs yesterday, so I went over to Albertsons in Mission Viejo," she said. "There were between 80 and 100 carts wrapped around the outside of the building. I was like, holy hell; I don't have four or five hours to sit here and wait for this chaos, so I left. Things are out of control." Averill tries to stay calm, but she can't find any eggs. "I have a breakfast and lunch café," she said. "I use Sysco, Shamrock, and sometimes U.S. Foods (as a food supplier), but if I don't have a big enough order to go through them, I try to buy stuff through Trader Joe's or the local Persian market where it's cheaper, but the n Eat Street, see page 6

Limón updates Ventura County on the Coronavirus By Chris Frost chris@tricountysentry.com Oxnard-- As Ventura County residents struggle to find answers about the coronavirus and what the latest information available, State Assembly Member Monique Limón took time out of her busy schedule to give readers the latest news. The statehouse has been going non-stop working on and approving a $1.1 billion virus emergency response package for residents who have been affected by the pandemic. Getting tested

One of the more pressing questions has been testing for the virus, and right now, only your physician or public health official can order a test. "Right now, the state is prioritizing tests through the counties," she said. "The public health department has to prioritize the tests to people who have the greatest need. Those are people who are showing symptoms." She knows that people can carry the virus and transmit the coronavirus to someone without showing any symptoms. "The reason we're not there yet is because we don't have enough tests

(Courtesy photo)

Assembly Member Monique Limón.

in the world," she said. "This is not a unique thing for Ventura County. Every state in the country is looking for more tests. "We're hopeful that the federal legislation that has been passed will bring us those resources." To give a test, Limón said you need the elements to conduct the test, plus the process of conducting the test, which takes several hours per test. "The goal for our country and state is to get to a place where we have a greater capacity," she said. "Right now, the only entity that can assign a test is through your public health department or your direct provider."

Effective March 18, Ventura County will have a 211 hotline that will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and it will answer everyone's questions. "We're excited that people will have a number and will be able to talk to someone and answer all of these questions," she said. "This is a Ventura County specific hotline. If people get a busy signal, they need to keep calling." She said that every public health agency is doing as much as it can do, and people feel like they don't have enough. n Coronavirus, see page 2


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