Coachella Valley coronavirus news and info | Tuesday evening, April 14

By
Casey Dolan
-
(?: Melissa Smith)

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 Tuesday, Riverside County officials have confirmed 1,961 people have tested positive for COVID-19.  The 200 additional cases are the largest single-day increase since tracking began.  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 4 pm Tuesday, there have been 25,378 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in California.  There have been 771 confirmed deaths in the state.

Over 25,000 people have now died from COVID-19, with that number doubling in just one week:

According to the White House, there have also been 44,000 Americans who have now recovered after falling ill to the virus:

Specialized teams designed to educate and equip employees at licensed care facilities throughout Riverside County will start visiting the locations today. The four teams consist of workers from American Medical Response and will work with staff members at each facility to demonstrate proper safety techniques, provide proper safety gear and educate them about COVID-19 to dispel rumors and correct erroneous information.

Four deputies assigned to corrections in San Bernardino County have returned to work after recovering from COVID-19.  The department says it anticipates additional employees affected by the virus will return to work in the next few weeks:

Tens of thousands of women across the United States trying to have a baby through fertility treatments have been in limbo because of the coronavirus.  Appointments have had to be postponed indefinitely due recommendations issued by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Now some fertility specialists and their patients are pushing back.

Gov. Gavin Newsom shared guidelines that state officials will use to eventually begin lifting California’s stay-at-home orders.  He did not give a timeline, but said that Californians should prepare for a few modifications when we do go forward, citing examples like restaurants having fewer tables and classrooms being reconfigured.

A day after saying that he alone would decide when businesses around the country would reopen, Tuesday Donald Trump announced that decision will actually be up to the governors:

During the same news conference Trump said that the United States is pulling funding to the World Health Organization during a pandemic because the organization “praised China’s transparency” regarding the coronavirus, a thing that he also did in January:

A couple of local airports will receive federal aid.  Palm Springs International will be given $11 million, while  Jacqueline Cochran Regional will receive $69,000.

The federal government says that 80 million Americans should receive their stimulus check by tomorrow. You may want to check your bank account as one man in Indiana found quite the surprise when he looked to see if he had received his:

Despite furniture stores reopening, early evidence indicates Americans are using the money to buy the basics, like food and gas.

According to Zillow, in Riverside and San Bernardino counties, existing homes being listed on the real estate market dropped by 9% since March 1 vs. new listings from a year ago.

FIND Food Bank estimates that that 30,000 more people in the Coachella Valley are relying on their services for food after being forced to stay home because of COVID-19.  “I’ve never seen anything like it in my time working for F.I.N.D. Food Bank and it’s just shocking and it’s also humbling because I see the generous people,” Lorena Marroquin, the director of community impact, told KMIR. If you or anyone you know need food assistance call FIND Food Bank at 760-775-FOOD (3663).

Westfield Palm Desert has launched #WestfieldCares to highlight organizations and the charitable work they are doing to confront the effect the COVID-19 pandemic. The mall will host a drive for Martha’s Village and Kitchen on Friday from noon to 6 pm.  They are looking for donations of diapers, baby wipes, formula, toiletries (shampoo, toothpaste, soap), children’s crafts, books, toys, and more.  Details here.

A local hairdresser is now providing kits to his clients to color their hair at home (speaking of which, I am about a day away from shaving all of mine off)

You can now buy a Social Distortion social distancing shirt:

Finally, 49ers fans were understandably bummed that their team lost the Super Bowl in February, but some experts say the loss may have had a silver lining:

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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