Cactus Hugs has been tracking local stories about the coronavirus. For a rundown of all of our updates, click here.
As of 3:30 pm Sunday, Riverside County officials have confirmed 233 people have tested positive for COVID-19. There have been 8 reported deaths in the county.
As of 8:30 am Monday, San Bernardino County has confirmed 111 cases of COVID-19. There has been 3 deaths in San Bernardino County.
As of 10 pm Sunday, there have been 6,358 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in California. There have been 132 deaths in the state.
Two San Bernardino County firefighters have tested positive for COVID-19. Both are at home with minor symptoms.
An inmate and four workers at a Chino state prison have tested positive for COVID-19.
A prominent Utah businessman died over the weekend from coronavirus. He and his wife tested positive shortly after returning from a trip to Palm Springs.
The state of California spent $214 million on emergency medical reserves in 2006, with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger citing the threat of the avian flu. This included mobile hospitals, ventilators, and N95 respirators. Then the recession hit and fiscally-minded Jerry Brown became governor. Hospitals were defunded and the stockpile collapsed.
“Beyond anything I’ve seen in my career” – CBS News reports from New York hospitals in a 60 Minutes piece that shows the courage and bravery of America’s healthcare workers and should serve as a warning about how bad this pandemic really is.
Thank you for everything, healthcare workers:
A brief example of the layers of clothing and gear doctors and nurses are using to protect themselves every single day from the Coronavirus. Simply heroic.
Humanity.❤️???❤️pic.twitter.com/rdFhXhxP0k
— Rex Chapman?? (@RexChapman) March 30, 2020
Gannett, the parent company of The Desert Sun, has announced furloughs for journalists earning over $38,000 per year:
New today: @Gannett announced unpaid newsroom furloughs of 1 week per month during April, May and June. We’re told journalists earning more than $38K are subject to the plan. This is prompted by COVID-19
— Gregory Holman ?? (@GregHolmanNL) March 30, 2020
Nearly half of California’s hotel workers are expected to be laid off.
Macy’s is furloughing most of its 125,000 employees.
Instacart workers are striking today:
Instacart workers are striking today. They are demanding to be treated better. They’re not alone. Delivery workers for Doordash, Amazon and others also say they’re not being protected. ICYMI: my story @latimes on the unmet promises to workers https://t.co/TJzvNbX5hH
— Johana Bhuiyan (@JMBooyah) March 30, 2020
Bus ridership is way down.
While scenes of people still crowding hiking trails and beaches are infuriating, a large amount of Americans are staying in. An analysis of smartphones and their movement by Unacast shows that Californians reduced their average distance traveled by 30 percent between February and March. Riverside County lagged behind the rest of the state, however – with only an 18% decrease. San Bernardino County remained basically unchanged, with travel down only 2%.
Jo-Ann Fabrics and Crafts stores are distributing free kits to sew face masks and gowns for hospitals and healthcare facilities.
Here’s how to clean your phone effectively during he pandemic.
That’s all for this morning, awesome reader. As always, thank you for your support of Cactus Hugs. Take care of yourself, your family, and your neighbors.
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.
Schools are closed, but free student meals are available. Here is the information on meal programs during this time for each Coachella Valley school district.
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.
— Eisenhower Health (@EisenhowerHeal) March 9, 2020
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.