Coachella Valley coronavirus news and info | Friday, April 17

By
Casey Dolan
-
(?: Kathy Donavan)

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, and thank you for your continued support of Cactus Hugs.

As of 1 pm Thursday, Riverside County officials have confirmed 2,264 people have tested positive for COVID-19.    There have been 59 confirmed deaths in the county.  County health officials also reported that 207 of the confirmed cases are currently hospitalized with 70 of them in the ICU.  There have been 472 official recovered cases.

Here is the latest breakdown by city or area in the Coachella Valley:

As of 8 am Friday, San Bernardino County has confirmed 1,032 cases of COVID-19.  There have been 47 deaths in San Bernardino County.

As of 10:24 pm Thursday, there have been 28,156 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in California.  There have been 973 confirmed deaths in the state.

The numbers are increasing everyday.  The individual stories are heartbreaking:

Nurses from three hospitals in LA County (Santa Monica, San Pedro, and Torrance) will protest Friday over what they say is a lack of personal protective equipment in hospitals.

A fifth deputy with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department has returned to work after recovering from the coronavirus.

A judge ruled that the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department has failed to answer basic questions about conditions in the county jail system during COVID-19. The department has been ordered to engage in mediation with inmate advocates and draft a plan that meets agreed-upon requirements.  As of April 16, there have been 103 inmates in the county who have tested positive for coronavirus.

The United States Postal Service has implemented enhanced cleaning protocols including the daily cleaning and disinfection of work surfaces, door handles, and vehicles after a La Quinta worker tested positive for coronavirus.  A spokesman said the procedures are being done “out of an abundance of caution.”

Stock markets around the world are seeing gains on Friday after initial reports that an antiviral medicine appeared to successfully treat some severe symptoms for coronavirus patients.  “Optimism about an effective treatment is driving prices higher,”  Daniel P. Wiener, chairman of Adviser Investments, told the Washington Post.” But it’s still too early to get excited. We have a lot further to go before we can sound the all-clear.”

Earlier in the week, Donald Trump said that he alone would make the decision to reopen.  Thursday, he announced he would leave that decision to individual states. Why the change?  As the Washington Post reports, “Trump’s the-buck-stops-with-the-states posture is largely designed to shield himself from blame should there be new outbreaks after states reopen or for other problems, according to several current and former senior administration officials involved in the response who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.”

Despite saying he would leave it up the governors yesterday, Trump tweeted all-caps “LIBERATE” messages this morning to select states (Michigan, Minnesota, and Virginia – which are all states that are considered swing states in the November election):

Meanwhile, Germany is set to reopen next month thanks to a comprehensive testing program, which the United States does not have at this point:

The number of people who flew in or out of Palm Springs International in March 2019 was 401,972.  This year, that number plummeted to 198,850.  April is expected to be far worse.  While the airport normally sees 60 flights a day, it now has 5 to 10.

Pharmacies in the east Coachella Valley are struggling to keep up with demand.

Airbnb and California officials have partnered on a program that will offer free living accommodations for frontline responders and others working in private and public California hospitals amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Police are warning about variety of scams connected to the coronavirus pandemic, including a new one advising the target that they may have come into contact with an infected person.

Having a hard time finding toilet paper?  The Press Enterprise recommends using these plants you can grow in your yard.

La Quinta Brewing is still open to grab a beer to-go and now you can get hand sanitizer too:

Westfield Palm Desert will host an essential items drive today through Sunday benefiting the families of Martha’s Village and Kitchen:

If you’re picking up essentials this weekend, please consider doing something else essential: a contactless, curbside…

Posted by Westfield Palm Desert on Wednesday, April 15, 2020

That’s all for this morning. 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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