Welcome to 5 Things to Know – a daily rundown of things you might want to be aware of if you live in, visit, or just like being aware about what’s going on in Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley. As always, thank you for your continued support of Cactus Hugs.
1) The Coronavirus
Riverside County reported 639 new cases and 12 additional deaths in the last 24 hours. There have been 1,367 reported deaths from coronavirus this year in Riverside County.
Here is the latest on what’s going on in the desert:
…cases continue to be reported in much greater numbers than news of recoveries or deaths, so the number of active cases has grown considerably, putting us back where we were in early September… (2/4) pic.twitter.com/Oe6yHovVZa
— Kevin Duncliffe (@kevinduncliffe) November 13, 2020
…and the death toll was up sharply this week.
With hospitalizations also rising, the overall trends locally have not been good lately. (4/4) pic.twitter.com/yx6ssIUnfz
— Kevin Duncliffe (@kevinduncliffe) November 13, 2020
More:
- The Coachella Valley has the highest numbers of cases and hospitalized patients of anywhere in Riverside County over the past week.
- The governors of California, Washington, and Oregon issued an advisory urging people to avoid non-essential out-of-state travel and recommending that people traveling into their state quarantine for 14 days, due to the surge in coronavirus cases.
- Meanwhile, it appears congress is throwing themselves a large, fancy indoor dinner.
- Nationally, things are just not good at all:
IHME projects we could have 265k deaths by December 1, 320.4K by New Years, 385.7k by February 1 and 438.9k by March 1
Scenarios:
Easing (no reimposed restrictions, all are eventually eased); 586,878 by 3/1/21
Masks (95% of population wears masks) 370,702 by 3/1/21
— United States Coronavirus Updates (@USCoronaUpdates) November 13, 2020
Several dozen Secret Service officers have either tested positive for coronavirus or are self-isolating after close contact with someone who tested positive, source says https://t.co/vTjuRTyYWH
— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) November 13, 2020
Please, don't travel for the Holidays. We are at the very beginning of a gargantuan surge in #COVID19 in the U.S. pic.twitter.com/RXzJOlEIPn
— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) November 13, 2020
Be safe. Wear a mask.
2) Riverside County Sheriff’s Department releases footage of deputy-involved shooting
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department released video footage on Thursday of a fatal deputy-involved shooting that happened at La Quinta City Hall in September.
Officials say the video was released as a “critical incident briefing” and advise discretion when viewing.
3) That pig found in Indio is back home
A pig found in Indio this week has been returned to its owners. The pig, which was nicknamed “Carnitas” (and hopefully wasn’t told it was named after delicious food) is actually named Charlotte.
The owners of the female, 200-pound pot-bellied pig said she was able to escape despite the yard she was in having three gates.
4) The giant Marilyn statue finds a spot in Palm Springs
It seems like forever ago that the large Marilyn Monroe statue was in Palm Springs, but it will soon be back after the Palm Springs City Council unanimously approved a three-year agreement to place it downtown on Museum Way. The agreement is for three years, but it has a clause to review after a year to see how it’s going.
The Palm Springs Art Museum Executive Director is not happy about the statue.
5) It’s the weekend!
Yeah, it’s Friday, dear reader. It’s going to be nice outside. Try to get out there and enjoy it!
Have a great weekend… pic.twitter.com/rWAQeUkls2
— Rex Chapman?? (@RexChapman) November 13, 2020
Stay safe. Stay smart. Practice Social Distancing. Wear a mask.
Have a nice weekend.
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