Coachella Valley coronavirus news and info | Monday, July 20

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 3 pm Monday, Riverside County officials have confirmed:

  • 29,983 people have officially tested positive for COVID-19.  1,288 people have been reported positive since Friday.
  • 588 people are confirmed to have died in the county from the coronavirus. This number includes 1 person reported dead since Friday.

Here’s the latest from the Coachella Valley:

As of 3 pm Monday, San Bernardino County has confirmed:

  • 24,099 people have officially tested positive for COVID-19.
  • 329 people are confirmed to have died in the county from the coronavirus.

As of 4 pm Monday, the State of California has confirmed:

      • 394,396 people have official tested positive for COVID-19.
      • 7,745 people are confirmed to have died in the state of CA from the coronavirus.

Those who get COVID-19 tests at county-run facilities should expect to wait between seven to 10 days to get their results back, according to the county’s health department. A recent uptick in test submissions has extended wait times, keeping with similar trends nationwide. “The backlog is at the lab level,” a Riverside University Health System spokesman told NBC 4. “They are having trouble keeping up with the number of tests being submitted for analysis.

In a press release issued on Monday, Riverside County stated that they have “been advised that some restaurants, wineries, parks, and other local establishments may be hosting live music or entertainment events.”  The county states, “that offering or holding live entertainment, including live music, is not permitted under the current Orders of Governor Newsom and the California State Public Health Officer.”

Fantasy Springs Resort won’t have concerts at their Special Events Center until 2021.  The property announced on Monday that they have postponed all scheduled concerts for the rest of the year.

Contact tracers in Riverside County are finding that more than half of infected people they call don’t want to provide any information. “Some people don’t want to talk to us at all,”  a contact tracer and coordinator of Riverside County’s tracing program told the Press Enterprise. “And that’s their right. We’re not going to force anybody.”

The coronavirus pandemic doesn’t seem to have hurt the local real estate market, as  single-family homes have actually seen prices rising, compared to this time last year as more people relocate to the desert.  Real estate experts told the Desert Sun that some buyers are moving to the desert from larger cities like Los Angeles and San Diego as they transition to working from home and are seeking a less dense, more affordable place to live.

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Monday new guidelines that would allow some salons and barbershops to operate outdoors.  The guidelines state that “outdoor operations may be conducted under a tent, canopy, or other sun shelter as long as no more than one side is closed, allowing sufficient outdoor air movement. Salons and barbershops should not perform a service that would require a customer to have to enter the establishment.”

After months and months of making wearing masks a political issue, President Donald Trump tweeted a photo of himself wearing a mask and stated that “many people say that it is Patriotic to wear a face mask.”  He also called the coronavirus the “Invisible China Virus” because he is a racist.

Joe Biden appeared on MSNBC on Monday and said he believes that Donald Trump “has no idea what to do” ab out the coronavirus pandemic:

The upcoming Palm Springs Modernism Week Fall Preview will take place completely online this fall. “As we continue to review current health guidelines and make plans for the Fall Preview, it has become clear that it will not be possible for us to present live events in the fall,” said the event’s Chief Executive Officer.

High School sports in California won’t begin until at least December or January. The  California Interscholastic Federation made the announcement of the modified sports calendar on Monday. Officials believe that the plan gives 800,000 athletes in the state their best opportunity to have a sports season in the 2020-21 school year.

Finally…

Thank you for your continued support of Cactus Hugs.

These are stressful times for all of us. Coping with stress will make you, the people you care about, and our desert community stronger. This link has some resources to help with coping and also numbers to call or text if you, or someone you know, feels overwhelmed.

Please, take care of yourself and each other. You are important. You are valued. You are loved. ??

Anything we missed? Let us know about it.