Hundreds of Stanislaus businesses have had COVID-19 complaints filed. What were they for?
In frustrated emails and even tearful phone calls, Stanislaus County residents have reported hundreds of businesses for allegedly violating coronavirus health orders.
Community members submitted more than 1,300 complaints against at least 680 businesses from late March through mid-August, according to public records from Stanislaus County. The county tracked complaints in multiple logs in different formats, so taking an accurate measure of the number of complaints submitted is difficult.
While many complaints involved a combination of face mask, social distancing and sanitation issues, others detailed concerns about how employers handled COVID-19 cases and how businesses operated indoors despite orders to close. Multiple people reporting open nail salons identified themselves as industry workers who are suffering financially during state-mandated closures designed to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
“I’m a manicurist and I want to work as well,” one person wrote in an emailed complaint. “These places that are open are going to take my clients away from me. I’ll be lucky to have clients when this pandemic is over.”
Nails by David Lee, the David Lee Spa and NT Nail Spas in Modesto are among the businesses receiving the most complaints, according to a review of the records. Other frequently reported businesses include the Velvet Grill and Creamery restaurants, June Bugs Bar, Rainbow Fields, Vintage Car Wash, and Winco in Modesto, as well as Best RV Center in Turlock, Cahoots Corner Cafe in Oakdale and Outpost Saloon in Waterford.
Complaints against the spas, restaurants and bars were for indoor operations, while other reports cited a lack of face masks or social distancing. The city of Modesto issued cease-and-desist orders to the Velvet Grill and David Lee businesses last month, while the county did the same to Rainbow Fields in late June, The Bee previously reported.
Best RV Center owner Naiel Ammari said his salespeople wear face coverings, but no longer argue with customers who say using them goes against their principles. His policy follows a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendation to limit workplace violence. Employees still ask customers to follow safety guidelines posted at the dealership, Ammari said.
“I cannot be a policeman on the customers refusing masks,” Ammari said. “....The problem is the nature of the customers we are dealing with and the variety of their beliefs, attitudes and so on.”
NT Nails Spa owner Truong Nguyen declined to comment, but posts on the business Facebook page advertise that locations are open for walk-ins and appointments. The other businesses did not return calls for comment Friday.
Modesto-area complaints vary
Complaints regarding how businesses handled COVID-19 cases ranged from allegedly neglecting to notify employees of exposure or disinfect workplaces after a positive test result, forcing symptomatic employees to work, to not complying with mask and social distancing guidelines after confirmed cases.
One hospital housekeeper called to report her employer for not providing proper personal protective equipment, adding that rooms she cleaned lacked the space to stay 6 feet away from COVID-19 patients. The housekeeper said several coworkers contracted the disease, according to a complaint log.
“Caller was crying and said she is worried because they are not taking it seriously and now she has exposed the family members with whom she lives,” reads the complaint record.
Meanwhile, another caller submitted a complaint against a bank because employees allegedly refused to wear a mask while standing within a foot from her to close a safety deposit box. The woman told the reporting line she called 911, records show, so police helped her close the box and suggested she submit a complaint.
Additional complaints reference the social media accounts of gyms, saying fitness centers post evidence of indoor classes and workouts. A couple of people wrote that they attached Instagram screenshots to emails, while another questioned why a gymnastics studio posted a Facebook video about its indoor safety precautions.
“How is this fair to other businesses responsibly following the mandates and suffering economically?” reads one emailed complaint about a gymnastics studio. “The health of our county should come first. These businesses should not be open.”
What happens with business reports
The Office of Emergency Services forwards complaints to the appropriate city or to county code enforcement if a business falls under the jurisdiction, said county spokesman Royjindar Singh. Officials in six of the county’s nine cities said staff typically follow up on complaints with outreach and education, resulting in voluntary compliance. Patterson businesses usually comply with health orders after a verbal warning, City Manager Ken Irwin said in an email.
Modesto, Ceres and Newman have respectively contacted about 130, 40 and five businesses, respectively, regarding coronavirus-related complaints as of late August, according to records from the cities. Oakdale and Riverbank investigated 90 and 30 complaints each by mid-August, city officials said in emails, and Turlock records show the city received about 150 complaints by Aug. 24.
The Riverbank complaints, some of which people reported to the Office of Emergency Services, resulted in fives fines for four businesses. The Bee also previously reported how Modesto notified the Velvet Grill & Creamery restaurants on Aug. 28 it would impose $1,000 fines every day they keep serving customers indoors.
Bee reporter Kevin Valine contributed to this report.
This story was originally published September 9, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
