Coachella Valley coronavirus news and info | Monday evening, May 11

By
Casey Dolan
-
(?: Sharon Calcagno)

Cactus Hugs has been tracking local stories about the coronavirus.   For a rundown of all of our updates, click here. Stay safe, stay at a good social distance.

Thank you for your continued support of Cactus Hugs. For ways to keep this website going (and free!), click here.

As of 4 pm Monday, Riverside County officials have confirmed:

  • 5,189 people have officially tested positive for COVID-19.
    • 150 people have been reported to have tested positive in the last 24 hours
  • 217 people are confirmed to have died in the county from the coronavirus.
    • 12 people have been reported dead in the last 24 hours.
  • There are currently 199 confirmed cases hospitalized.
    • 74 of those people in the ICU.
  • There have been 2,645official recovered cases in the county.
  • The county has conducted 73,149 tests.

How are cases distributed throughout Riverside County? This interactive map has that info.

As of 4 pm Monday, San Bernardino County has confirmed 3,015 cases of COVID-19.  There have been 115 deaths in San Bernardino County.

As of 10 pm Sunday, there have been 68,781 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in California.  There have been 2,763 confirmed deaths in the state.

The numbers are increasing everyday.  They are not just numbers.  They are people.  The individual stories are heartbreaking:

Riverside County health officials are encouraging young people to get tested for  coronavirus.  According to health officials, reporting has been underrepresented in testing so far for people 25 and younger and they are asking them to get screened. “We would like to get a more complete picture of the illness as it has spread among young  people,” said Kim Saruwatari, director of public health for Riverside County in a press release. “This will helps us better understand who in the community has the disease and how it might be moving among children and families.” You can make an appointment here.

While many are hoping the worst of the pandemic has past, the LA Times has run the numbers and it appears that things have merely stabilized.  For the seven-day period that ended Sunday, 503 people in California died from the virus — the second-highest weekly death toll in the course of the pandemic and a 1.6% increase from the previous week.  The newspaper found that the death toll has continued to average about 500 fatalities each week over the past month in California.

The LA County Sheriff says that two groups of inmates at a Los Angeles County jail tried to infect themselves with the coronavirus by sharing water and a mask.  Sheriff Alex Villanueva showed surveillance videos from two dormitory units at the North County Correctional Facility in Castaic during a press conference on Monday.  The footage captured inmates in one unit sharing a container of hot water and others in a second unit sniffing a mask. The sheriff said the inmates mistakenly believed that if they were infected they would be freed. “It’s dismaying and it’s disheartening,” he said.

The White House began requiring all employees to wear masks today:

Also at the White House, President Donald Trump held a press conference on Monday.  This is how it ended:

The Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce is surveying businesses in the city to determine what they think they need to reopen.  The agency plans to try to order things like face masks, hand sanitizers and table wipes at a better price (in bulk), which they believe will reduce costs.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom joined with the governors of Oregon, Washington, Nevada and Colorado on Monday to ask the House and Senate for a trillion dollars in coronavirus aid. The governors said the funds would be critical for public health programs, law enforcement and schools. “Without federal support, states and cities will be forced to make impossible decisions — like whether to fund critical public healthcare that will help us recover, or prevent layoffs of teachers, police officers, firefighters and other first responders,” the letter from the states proclaims. “And, without additional assistance, the very programs that will help people get back to work — like job training and help for small business owners — will be forced up on the chopping block.”

Elon Musk defied Alameda County officials and reopened his Tesla manufacturing plant on Monday.  Shift workers were seen streaming in and out buildings and, filling up the employee parking lot. Musk took to Twitter to announce the opening.  The county released a statement, saying they were working toward “an agreed upon safety plan for reopening beyond Minimum Basic Operations.”

The Treasury Department and the IRS are urging those who have not yet received their stimulus check deposit to enter their bank accounts at this website by Wednesday.After that, the agency will begin preparing paper checks which won’t arrive until the end of this month or next.

Lake Havasu, Arizona has been awfully packed these days…with Californians. “I think people are getting bored of the shutdown so they think it should just be over, and they’re coming here to explore,” a resident told the LA Times. “I really wish they would stay away right now.”

For many in the Coachella Valley, tomorrow is an election day. No seriously. There will be a few polling places open, but you can also vote by mail.  The Desert Sun has the details.

That’s all for this evening. Stay safe. Stay smart. Stay home.   

Thank you for your continued support of Cactus Hugs.

Important information:

Congressman Raul Ruiz has posted a list of local resources and information.

The Washington Post offers plenty of ways that you can help during the coronavirus pandemic.

If you see someone price gouging, there is now a number for that.

The New York Times has an interactive map where you can track every coronavirus case in the United States.

The Washington Post is out with a guide to what you should know about the coronavirus.

Here is a memo by the Department of Homeland security identifying critical infrastructure workers.

The United Way of the Desert has assembled a nice list of information and resources available during the coronavirus here.

These are scary and anxious times.  Be safe and kind to each other out there and, please, remember to wash your hands.

Anything we missed? Let us know about it.

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