Coachella Valley coronavirus news and info | Wednesday, April 29

By
Casey Dolan
-
(?: Christopher Terravarant)

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 1 pm Tuesday, Riverside County officials have confirmed:

  • 3,735 people have tested positive for COVID-19.  92 people have tested positive in the last 24 hours.  
  • 141 people are confirmed to have died in the county from the coronavirus. There were zero reported deaths in the last 24 hours.
  • There are currently 220 confirmed cases hospitalized, with 73 of them in the ICU.
  • There have been 1,303 official recovered cases in the county.

As of 4 pm Tuesday, San Bernardino County has confirmed 1,827 cases of COVID-19.  There have been 85 deaths in San Bernardino County.

As of 7 am Wednesday, there have been 46,482 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in California.  There have been 1,873 confirmed deaths in the state.  76 people were reported dead from coronavirus in the state as of 4 pm Tuesday.

The numbers are increasing everyday.  They are not just numbers.  They are people.  The individual stories are heartbreaking:

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department announced the second inmate to die in custody  after testing positive for COVID-19.  The death is under investigation.  The department claims, “the inmate passed away … from what appears to be complications from his pre-existing medical condition possibly exasperated by COVID-19.”

Doctors are finding that frostbite-like patches appearing on toes and other peculiar rashes may be signs of hidden coronavirus infection, especially in younger people. The Washington Post reports that, while the cases tend to be mild and resolve on their own, doctors recommend those with symptoms consider getting tested for the virus and self-isolate.

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Tuesday that K-12 schools in the state could reopen as early as July for the new school year.   “There’s been a learning loss,” Newsom said. “And you can either just roll over and just accept that or you can do something about that.”  The announcement came as a surprise to Coachella Valley school districts, reports the Desert Sun.  “We hear a bold statement that says schools are set to start in late July or early August,” Palm Springs Unified Superintendent Dr. Sandra Lyon said during the district’s Tuesday night board meeting, “and we have more questions raised than clarity around what that will look like.”

So what are colleges planning on doing this fall?  UC San Diego intends to “offer a combination of in-person and remote instruction” while Stanford might delay the fall quarter till winter.  The Chronicle of Education is tracking the plans of universities around the country here.

A photo that went viral over the weekend by photographer Mindy Schauer of the Orange County Register had many claiming it couldn’t possibly be taken during the coronavirus – a a time when people were supposed to be social distancing.  Many claimed the photo was a stock image, photoshopped, or, sigh, #fakenews.  But it was real. Schauer used her 20 years experience to take the photo from the Newport Beach pier with a long lens because she wanted to get as much of the beach as she could to accurately depict the scene.

The Newport Beach city council voted Tuesday night to keep the beaches open.

Gov. Gavin Newsom said on Tuesday that the state’s movie theaters are part of stage three of the four stage plan to ease stay-at-home restrictions.  That means the facilities are “months, not weeks” away from opening.  While theaters are being allowed to open in states like Texas and Georgia this week, don’t look for new movies to be showing anywhere anytime soon.  As Deadline notes, the major chains are waiting until late June and July, particularly the latter month,  to book movies in theaters. Dates to watch on the calendar: July 17 when Warner Bros. plans to open Christopher Nolan’s Tenet and July 24 when Disney will debut Mulan.

The LPGA released a revised schedule on Wednesday.  The tour would return in July and the ANA Inspiration would be played in Rancho Mirage September 10 – 13.

The federal government said Wednesday that total U.S. output in the first quarter fell 4.8% — faster than at any time since the Great Recession.  Economists have projected GDP to crater in the second quarter by an unprecedented 30% or more.

The President’s son-in-law and White House Advisor called the federal government’s response to the pandemic “a great success story” on Wednesday:

The Washington Post reports on how easily a virus can spread on an airplane. Airlines have known the risk for years and are working on ways to lesson the risk including self-cleaning lavatories and ultraviolet lights in the cabin:

The Galilee Center needs volunteers for food distribution and packing.  If you are in good health, can pack bags in the heat, and lift boxes of 25-35 pounds, you can volunteer today and tomorrow:

We need Volunteers for our food distribution packing & distribution Due to the pandemic, we must restrict the amount…

Posted by Galilee Center on Tuesday, April 28, 2020

Mattel is honoring doctors, nurses, EMTs and delivery drivers everywhere with a new line of toys. The #ThankYouHeroes line for Fisher-Price includes 16 different action figures featuring health care workers and other “every day heroes,” according to a statement from the company.  Net proceeds from the sale of each item you purchase will be donated to #FirstRespondersFirst, a fund dedicated to providing essential supplies, equipment and resources for protecting frontline healthcare workers and their families.  You can check them out here.

A reminder, the local breweries are still open and offering up snacks, growler fills, deliveries, and more:

When you’re here for your growler fills, don’t forget some delicious local snacks to go along with your brew! @…

Posted by Desert Beer Co on Tuesday, April 28, 2020

Finally, a San Francisco couple went ahead with their planned wedding, with only close family in attendance.  Others could watch a stream online.  The church placed photos of members in the pews.  “In a way it allowed a wedding to be brought back to basics, in sickness and in health and in pandemic,” the groom said:

The bride's entrance holding her father's hand, yesterday I was very lucky to be the photographer of this wedding in San…

Posted by Vicens Forns on Sunday, April 26, 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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