Coachella Valley coronavirus news and info | Tuesday, April 14

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

As of 1 pm Monday, Riverside County officials have confirmed 1,751 people have tested positive for COVID-19.  There have been 50 confirmed deaths in the county.

As of 8 am Tuesday, San Bernardino County has confirmed 977 cases of COVID-19.  There have been 31 deaths in San Bernardino County.

As of 7:20 am Tuesday, there have been 24,371 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in California.  There have been 731 confirmed deaths in the state.

Doctors are finding that placing the sickest coronavirus patients on their stomachs — called prone positioning – helps increase the amount of oxygen that’s getting to their lungs.

Gov. Gavin Newsom, along with the governors of Oregon and Washington, are set to announce a plan to incrementally reopen the economy along the west coast today. On Monday, Newsom said he would detail “our California-based thinking on that effort.”

A recent poll of residents of LA County found that about 85 % percent have confidence in local and state officials to lead them through the COVID-19 crisis. The same poll found just 38 % had confidence in Donald Trump.

“Is it wearing masks? Probably. Is it continuing to restrict large gatherings? Yeah, probably,” Dr. George Rutherford, epidemiologist and infectious diseases expert at UC San Francisco and other experts talked to the LA Times about how the relaxation of stay-at-home order in California are likely to go . “Is it continuing to have older people stay home more than they would otherwise? Yeah, probably.”

Palm Springs issued an order on Monday that mandates all workers and visitors wear face masks, similar to the order issued by Riverside County earlier this month. Palm Springs Mayor Geoff Kors said the order is necessary as not everyone is doing what they should.  “We’re almost at the end of our second 14-day incubation period, and we’re continuing to have community spread,” he said. “If everyone was following the rules, those numbers would be lower, and we’d get through this faster.”

Officials in the city of La Quinta told KESQ that they are in the process of citing a short term rental home in the lower La Quinta Cove area, who did not comply with city and county orders. The penalty for the infraction would be a $5,000 fine and license suspension for one year.

A civil liberties group filed a lawsuit against Riverside County for restrictions of religious gatherings.  The group says the measures are “gross abuse of power.”  Parties to the action include Church Unlimited Pastor James Dean Moffatt of Indio and World Life Ministries International Pastor Brenda Wood of Riverside. “Wood believes that her parishioners need to connect with other people so as to give them hope and encouragement,” the complaint states.

Rancho Mirage will conclude its whacky election today.  Ballots must be postmarked by today or can be dropped off at City Hall by 8 pm.

The state capital of California went blue on Monday night to honor healthcare professionals:

As stimulus checks begin arriving this week, the Washington Post reports that more than 80 percent of the benefits of a tax change tucked into the coronavirus relief package Congress passed last month will go to millionaires, according to a report by a nonpartisan congressional body expected to be released today.

The Desert Sun, who is furloughing journalists despite executives of its parent company receiving millions of dollars in salaries and golden parachutes, printed a letter from a reader suggesting corporations spend their money more responsibly:

The hotel industry is asking that congress alter the recent federal aid package, such as the  requirement that hotel owners rehire their staff by the end of June, as many owners do not expect business to return at that point.  Workers and unions say the multibillion-dollar chains are angling to use the stimulus money to prioritize payments to shareholders and Wall Street lenders over paying workers.

Amazon announced they will add another 75,000 jobs on top of the 100,000 jobs they announced last month.

If you need to fly and have been unable to get your license renewed, you are in luck:

Desert Regional Medical Center is teaming with LifeStream for a blood drive today and tomorrow:

E News has posted six weird reasons to be excited about Coachella fest moving to the fall including that it will be probably be hotter, you have more time to stream some music, and maybe the lineup will be the same.

For those keeping up with them, Kylie Jenner gave a tour of the Kardashian’s gigantic place in the Madison Club in La Quinta.

Kim Kardashian, and North West, would like you to social distance:

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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