Ukiah Restaurant Says They Were ‘Blindsided’ When Public Health Published a Press Release Announcing COVID-19 Positive Staff Member
Ellie’s Mutt Hutt
On the evening of Monday, June 14, 2021, Mendocino County Public Health (MCPH) published a press release announcing that a staff member of Ukiah’s Ellie’s Mutt Hutt restaurant had tested positive for COVID-19 and encouraged members of the public who had dined at the restaurant from June 10-11 to “get tested and closely monitor for symptoms of COVID-19.”
Dani Corippo, co-owner of Ellie’s Mutt Hut, told us that despite the press release’s claim that “a good rapport [was] developed with the restaurant,” neither MCPH or Environmental Health contacted them until yesterday, the day after the press release was published.
Corippo said she felt “blindsided” by the press release and described Mendocino County Public Health’s willingness to publish a press release before informing the business’s owner as “unreal.”
In the wake of struggling during the COVID-19 lockdown, Corippo said, “Our business was just starting to pick up after a year and a half.” She said that in the day following Public Health’s press release, “we had less than one-quarter of our regular business.”
Corippo said the specific employee that tested positive for COVID-19 “never came to work once he felt symptoms and has not returned since.”
Corippo said her restaurant has worked hard over the last year to follow pandemic protocols including masking and social distancing. She stated she has alway sought a “good relationship with Public Health.” She added, “it would have been nice to talk with them with the press release and work with them before they made this press release that has affected our business tremendously.”
During the winter surge of COVID-19 cases, Mendocino County Public Health published multiple statements regarding local outbreaks. In the majority of those, the press release included a quote from the owner/manager of the affected business providing them an opportunity to address the community directly about how their business was navigating COVID-19 protocols.
This willingness to include the voices of local businesses can be seen in this press release describing an outbreak at a Fort Bragg daycare, this one describing a Albion youth group outbreak, and this one that includes the voices of a local dentist and the manager of the Ukiah Co-Op.
In the last two weeks, MCPH’s press releases have informed the community about four Ukiah restaurants with COVID-19 activity (The Pub, The Office, Applebee’s, and Ellie’s Mutt Hut) and one Willits restaurant called Diggers. Not one of those press releases included the voice of the affected business.
Mendocino County Public Health Officer Dr. Andy Coren said publicly identifying restaurants with COVID-19 activity is not meant “to be punitive.”
When asked what had led to this shift in approach when writing press releases about local businesses, Dr. Coren could not point to any specific shift in policy or approach, and said he would “look into it.”
He went on to say that the restaurants that have had active COVID-19 cases have been “cooperative” and “the main reason that we’re doing this is to let the community know how important it is to not go to work or a bar or a restaurant, if they had symptoms.”
Dr. Coren characterized restaurants as environments that create “high-risk” exposure. He explained the danger in-person dining can present: “If a COVID-19 positive server has been working, they could’ve exposed multiple people in the community.”
Corippo told us that yesterday one of her employees was denied a haircut by a local salon because the cosmetologist recognized them as being a staff member of Ellie’s and was not comfortable cutting their hair.
The Office
Kimmarie Richardson, the owner of Ukiah restaurant The Office, had a similar experience. On June 5, 2021, a press release announced three COVID-19 positive customers had patronizedThe Office between the dates of May 22-23 encouraging anyone who was in the establishment at that time to be tested and to monitor for symptoms.
Richardson told us she was not informed of any press release regarding The Office until it was published and that when she “started getting messages on my phone.”
Richardson said that in her eye’s, her voice’s exclusion from the Public Health press release amounted to “defamation of character.” She explained,” I have a great reputation to uphold. And that didn’t look good.”
Richardson argued that a business owner has to be consulted and included when publishing these sorts of press releases “so the public doesn’t think we tried to hide it and sweep it under the rug.”
In a letter Richardson published to the Ukiah community, she provided a summation of her concerns associated with how Public Health approached the press release:
We were never notified of the incident(s) by the County once their contact tracing was completed, nor were we asked for comment on the press release. We were not informed of the tracing results until the same day the press release was published, Friday, June 4th, two weeks after the date(s) of concern.
Ultimately, Dani Corippo, a co-owner of Ellie’s Mutt Hut, wants to move into the future and make her restaurant thrive again. She told us that her restaurant, which has been open for 43 years, was started by her grandmother, Ellie. “We work so hard, being family owned,” Corippo reflected. She said, “Knowing how hard we worked to comply with the health orders, this whole thing is just a stab in the heart.”
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I think it’s time for those who wish to hide from their natural world:
just recognize their are still plenty of people who don’t believe the ends justify the means.
Remember:
In Mendocino County, the Director Of Health Services is a former Clerical.
In Humboldt County, the new Director of The Health Services Department is the former Mayor of Arcata.
When counties hire qualified help, and stop hiring friends, family, and totally “at random”, and start hiring properly educated, experienced and competent administrators and employees, there will be less chaos and fewer incidents exposing the county to possible legal actions.
Mendocino County: Take the time to identify, recruit, interview and retain qualified leaders! Same for you Humboldt County… And Humboldt: Nepotism, Corruption and Incompetence are usually not considered to be good components of County and Municipal Government!
It might help to keep all this in mind when you elect County Supervisors, City Council and Local Mayors…
Personal vendetta from the Health Department. Someone in that department has a bone to pick and singled these small mom and pop businesses out. Dig deeper! Being a historian in Mendocino County for over 30 years I can guarantee you there is more to this story. County Admin is corrupt and heartless. Somebody singled these businesses out!
Funny how they talk about “high risk exposure”, but not one mention of walmart, target, safeway, taco bell, amazon, ect. Only small businesses. Seems fishy.
The high risk areas are the ones with the highest concentrations of people, not small businesses. I really hate to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but this just seems so obvious, yet is kinda swept under the rug.
If it true that only small businesses have been identified for having a positive employee, that would seem unreasonable.
I just looked through the list of announcements. To be fair, Applebee’s was mentioned.
My cynical nature suspects that small businesses across the nation have been targeted and big corporations have been given a free pass. Recent studies have shown that 35-40% of small businesses around the country have failed. In the meantime, Mcdonalds never closed. Target and Walmart and Taco Bell and Safeway are “essential”, but small businesses aren’t?
It stands out to me since many of my friends and family who live in Europe and Asia report the exact opposite trend. In these places, at the outset of covid, small businesses stayed open and Mcdonalds was boarded up.
“Recent studies have shown that 35-40% of small businesses around the country have failed”
That’s not true
Please cite your source.
This article claims that 40% of East Bay small businesses and 37% of South Bay small businesses will never reopen.
https://abc7news.com/covid-grants-small-business-grant-mutual-aid-funding-bay-area/10423263/
This article claims that 63% won’t reopen!
https://www.franchising.com/articles/report_says_only_37_of_closed_small_businesses_will_reopen_within_6_months.html
This article claims that 37% of small businesses in Massachusetts have failed.
https://www.wbjournal.com/article/report-37-of-mass-small-businesses-have-closed
I could go on and on and on posting articles about small businesses failing. I could also post article after article about Amazon, Home Depot, Netflix making record profits. Oh yeah, and paying no taxes.
👍
I enjoyed the information in your comment. You taught me something I wasn’t aware of. Thank you.
Those rates are barely more than normal.
https://www.lendingtree.com/business/small/failure-rate/#:~:text=According%20to%20data%20from%20the,failure%20rates%20are%20fairly%20consistent.
How’s this…IF your not vaccinated, you might get Covid., especially if your inside any establishment not wearing a 😷 mask. 🤔(keep it simple…🙄)
Exactly. As if no infected person ever visited Costco or Walmart or a Casino. The bigger you are, as in “Corporation” (with attorneys and lawyers) the less likely these “under-educated friend selected bureaucrats” will be to single out your business that somebody in their department does not like and just plain broadside misalign and slander in the press. It does wreak of a defamation suit for our small businesses. Mendocino County is not welcoming to small mom and pop businesses or small mom and pop cannabis farmers. If your not “corporate” get ready for the county autocracy “welfare pension employees” who work for this County to destroy and steal your livelihood.
Thanks Historian.
The health department reminds me of the old Lilly Tomlin Line “We don’t have to care”, we are the health department… They get paid the same no matter what they do.
We often eat at The Mutt Hut when in Ukiah, and will eat there next time we are in town. I would imagine that they are even more careful than ever, because they don’t need anymore bad publicity. They run a clean business and a tight ship. The last time that we were there they even packed our food out to our parking spot on the street. Good food!
I would like to the health departments to make public how many people that have been vaccinated have gotten covid. It may encourage people to get the vaccination. But, maybe not.
But either way it is useful information. Only it should include hospitalizations too because that is the claim being made for vaccinations- that it keeps covid from becoming severe, not that it prevents infection.
Then its not a vaccine.
Since there are other vaccines that do the same thing and are called vaccines, this is just a idiosyncratic and peculiar way to define the word.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/vaccines-need-not-completely-stop-covid-transmission-to-curb-the-pandemic1/
You redefined vaccine. Just because somebody redefines vaccine and puts it in an article doesn’t mean jack. I’ve been around long enough and have enough of them circulating my blood stream to know what one is and one isn’t. Vaccines stop you from catching and transmitting whatever disease it’s for. You can still catch and transmit COVID after the shot. That’s not a vaccine, it’s gene-therapy.
That’s was the point. Some do and some don’t and never have. Whooping cough vaccine is one that doesn’t. Flu vaccines don’t. HPV vaccines don’t. Some polio vaccines do but the ones given in the US doesn’t. All called vaccines without controversy. Apparently you were unaware of what was circulating in your blood stream after all.
Vaccines are defined as “1 : a preparation that is administered (as by injection) to stimulate the body’s immune response against a specific infectious agent or disease: ” Just because there is a new way of doing it does not mean they are not equally a vaccine. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vaccine
And the new vaccines are patently not gene therapy either because they do not modify anyone’s genes. They are modified from sars-cov-2 genes but that does not change the genes in anyone’s body. There is more risk of sars-cov-2 naturally doing that than the mRNA vaccine doing it.
Yet,
the definition says, “stimulate”.
It doesn’t say,
“simulate”.
The mRNA injections only “simulate the body’s response against a specific infectious agent or disease”
The actual “stimulated response” inherent to a true vaccine doesn’t appear until the inoculated person is actually infected, the very occurence which a vaccine, in the truest sense of the word, would actually prevent.
In other words, for a true vaccine to work, infection is prevented.
For the mRNA “injectable formulation”
to “work”, infection is required.
Big difference.
It’s only a “simulated” vaccine.
A simulation, not a vaccination.
Its not even a reasonable facsmile.
A true vaccine works because it prevents disease.
The mRNA jab is not a vaccine, because the way it supposedly “works” actually requires you to not only become infected, but to begin to suffer from the actual disease before it can do anything to stop it.
A true vaccine provides sterilizing immunity, and prevents spread.
MRNA is not a true
vaccine.
With a true vaccine against a particular disease…, well, heck, we might as well just face it. We are just not getting it, are we?
And, we probably never will, will we?
That’s the difference between simulated, and stimulated.
One isn’t real, the other, actually works.
None of that, not one iota, is the way “real” vaccines work. Ever have or ever will. You made that whole scenario up. The mRNA vaccine does the same thing as any other vaccine- it does not hang around like a cop waiting on a corner for the criminal to come along. It simply waives a picture of the criminal under the the nose of the immune system so it knows what the bad guy looks like then disappears, leaving the immune system educated to defend itself.
Vaccines, all of them, introduce an antigen in a controlled way so that when the real thing shows up, the immune system has aready learned to recognize something dangerous and can get up to speed without delay. Depending on where the virus replicates, that can mean the infection can’t get started at all. That would be great to achieve, although I suspect you would find another point to object. But it’s not always possible.
Apparently it does no good to point out that several of the routine vaccinations given for decades are not sterilizing either. For some internal reason, you can not see the benefit of not dying because you got a non sterilizing vaccine. You demand it kill the infection otherwise want to let people die. Not dying is good for 99% of the world until something better comes along. You’re on your own in this fantasy.
It seems like language about the possibility of transmission from the vaccinated was extreeeeeemely careful speak. As time goes on it seems like it’s pretty unlikely to catch Covid from a vaccinated person. No public official will risk making a statement if there is a .00005 chance of it being wrong.
I love the Mutt Hut. Good food! However…I find this a whiny story. Yes- the Health Department identifies restaurants and shops where an employee is found to have covid. They do it as a public service and a heads-up so people who went there know they may have been exposed and will be on alert to not spread the covid to others. It’s the responsible response by a responsible agency. Of course Humboldt County has refused to do it and just keeps spreading the everywhere-always line of fear with zero to little actual information for us. Hey- your employee got covid and now you need to shut down and sterilize…quit whining, that’s life!
The complaint was that the effected business was not notified prior to the press release, not that they were identified, so they could prepare. And that they were not given the chance to include a statement. That is a reasonable complaint imho.
I’m sorry you find it whiny. That was not the intent of this story. We would of loved a chance to clarify a couple things with the PH before they released their press release. Even the county workers that came by the restaurant yesterday said “there must of been a miscommunication” after hearing our side. We fully agree that life happens and move on… but when having over 50 employees and a drop in business from a statement that could of been clarified with a simple phone call is frustrating to say the least. To clarify the employee that tested positive was never at work once he had symptoms and has not been back since.
You run a fantastic business !
They def should have communicated with you, for everyone’s sake. Blindsided is right.
I’m glad they named your business. Humboldt keeps everybody in the dark. I don’t need your side of the story. There really is no side. I love your food and I’d be back anyways. You shut down and sterilize, test your employees and reopen when safe. And then we come back. That’s really the only story. It’s happened to a lot of places and they didn’t need to tell their side of the story. They shut down, sterilized some stuff, tested employees and reopened. No real drama to it…I found the story unnecessary and blaming and accusative and drama-creating. I thought it was the author of the story who took the whiny approach. Everybody is a victim attitude. Anyways- You have great food! Best wishes and see you soon!
They say no publicity is bad publicity.
I didn’t know about your restaurant before this.
It’s not going to stop me from trying it the next time through Ukiah, especially after all the rave reviews.
It must have been a nightmare trying to run a restaurant through Covid19.
The county should not be making it any more difficult, that’s for sure.
I wish you the best of luck.
Did deeper. Somebody singled ypoo u guys out who had a bone to pick! County admin is cruel heartless corrupt and are basically government pension employees. The fact they claimed they had reached out to you guys was also a lie ! We already know from watching cannabis politricks in Mendo for the last 5 years that these wolves in sheep clothing who work for the Mendocino Corporation are not good people. They will lie, they will steal and they are corrupt! Get a hold of a good attorney!
I love the Mutt Hut! I especially miss it right now at breakfast time! Seems like a situation the restaurant had very little control over. You say “don’t come in sick” and they don’t, and you still get called out. Not fair. Not a situation for for public shaming. If sick employees are the problem, then help with sick leave pay for restaurant employees from the County might work. Perhaps mendo public health officials could go work a shift in the kitchen to fill in. Show up at 5:00 am please.
Why is the government picking on clean family run businesses that keep there tax dollars local ? We love the Mutt Hutt !! Go pick on Walmart. Piss off Coren
Interesting how they are only identifying bars and restaurants. Do they even ask the Covid positive person where else they have been ie: Grocery stores, Costco, Walmart. Unfair to target only specific businesses.
I can’t see where a delay in informing the public while the health department tracks down and gets feedback from the business owner is in the best interest of the public health.
Two minutes for a phone call?
Personally I am really glad Mendocino County has named these restaurants and pubs…I ate at Applebee’s during that window of exposure and am vaccinated so not worried just concerned. If one employee has got “it” there are probably more to follow.
How do you know said employee “got it”?
The “test”?
Educate.
I agree with the owner that it would have been the right thing to do to notify her before the public.
On the other hand I’m disturbed that not all food service workers need to be vaccinated before they can work around food and beverage that is served to the public.
Let’s be fair here I have always enjoyed Ellie’s and will continue to go there as the quality and freshness of the food is top notch. I wonder what would happen if they shut down one of the “Big stores” such as Wal-Mart? Say Costcos? I do not like going into Wal-mart in Ukiah but sometimes I have to. Seems like they have 4 workers and 2 of them are on break. Without self check out, might have to stay a while. They did have a outbreak in Wal- Mart last year but didn’t shut down. I am glad they notified us about the cases for once.
Black people and Mexicans are getting the virus more more. That’s why the government is making us get vaccinated and masks.
O-o-o-o-kay… seems like quite a stretch for me. But then I have quite a bit of optimism about this particular vaccination push.
I agree I would LOVE to see a Link to the source of that info!!!!
Love Mutt Hut. I’ve been going there for years this article doesn’t say anything particularly about Mutt Hut it says that an employee was infected. And then this employee could cause an exposure risk to the public. To escalate it and dramatize it, spread the attitude like wildfire it’s a problem. And those employees you have to consider are they respectful of others when they’re not at work obviously they were infected somehow. Even though we are at the end of the masking mandate if people are at risk, have health issues, or just want to feel safer they still May wear masks. Is no reason to bully people. Science takes a little sifting of information, evaluating it,. If we don’t allow time for evaluation we can get quite hysterical
Can’t have it both ways. A lot of static over the pandemic news because Humboldt won’t release the location of outbreaks. Now busting Mendo’s chops for releasing just that information. You can’t satisfy some.
This is why the whole state or better yet, the whole country should have been using CONTACT TRACING apps. Countries that used these systems faired way better.
Instead of telling the entire community that a single restaurant is a risk factor, contact tracing only notifies a person if they were at the restaurant within a certain timeframe. Then they know to get tested because they may have been exposed.
I was traveling abroad when this whole thing started. I kept getting notified via my phone app every time that I came in contact with another person who also may have been in contact. I was once notified that I stayed in the same hotel(3 days apart) as a woman from the UK who MAY have been exposed on an airplane. A few days later, the app let me know that she tested negative and I didnt need to worry.
The way that they are notifying people in Mendo is super sloppy, expensive, intrusive, and ineffective.
The complaint was NOT because of the release of info!!! It was a complaint about Notification of the restaurant in question a simple heads up so they could rectify the s(H)ituation faster!!!!
To the tune of the Avril Lavigne’s song complicated.
It’s a really good idea to go get vaccinated yeah yeah yeah. If you’re over 20 years old and your mask frustrated yeah yeah yeah. Stick out your arm, it’s really not hard…the worlds full of harm. Protecting us all and thinking of others is it really that bad why’d you have to go and make things so complicated it’s a really good time to go get vaccinated yeah yeah yeah. Oooooo o o.
…And you too can be part of the experiment. Yeah!
Stage 3 trials. Not looking real good atm.
I don’t care if they are all coughing, I would still go! YUM!!
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