New COVID-19 drive-thru testing site opening at Ventura County Fairgrounds

MOORPARK, Calif. (KABC) -- Ventura County officials are opening a new drive-thru COVID-19 testing site at the Ventura County Fairgrounds amid a surge of new coronavirus cases and demand for testing in the region.

As of Wednesday, Ventura County officials reported just under 7,000 people have tested positive for the virus with the death toll at 73. The latest county numbers can be found here.

There is already a drive-thru testing site at Moorpark College, where testing has been going on for just over two months. The Ventura County Fairground drive-thru testing site is expected to open on Aug. 10.

Ventura County aiming to keep farmworkers healthy

Ventura County officials and industry executives are outlining the steps taken to keep farmworkers in the $2 billion industry healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

County health officials are urging residents to follow state guidelines to reduce the spread of the virus. Authorities are encouraging residents to wear their masks, not only for their own safety, but the safety of others. They also emphasized that now is not the time to socially gather in groups.

"It is still not the time to be socially gathering...The majority of the cases that we're seeing are among situations where there is social gathering and also person to person, because when one person is found to have COVID, often times, they are infecting others in their household," said Rigo Vargas, Ventura County's public health director.

Though the county's schools will be offering online learning in the fall, the county hopes to open campuses later in the year if conditions improve.

How to stay safe when going out in public for essentials such as food, gas

Amid the coronavirus emergency, people are being urged to limit the time they spend in public. But there are essential items that consumers may have to leave their house for.

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