Coachella Valley coronavirus news and info | Wednesday, April 8

By
Casey Dolan
-
(?: Arlene Winfrey)

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 1,016 people have tested positive for COVID-19.  There have been 28 confirmed deaths in the county.

As of 8 am Wednesday, San Bernardino County has confirmed 547 cases of COVID-19.  There has been 17 deaths in San Bernardino County.

As of 9:36 pm Tuesday, there have been 17,620 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in California.  There have been 450 deaths in the state.

Social distancing measures appear to be working:

“Let me give you a sense of optimism, in terms of the curve in California bending: It is bending, but it’s also stretching,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said on Tuesday. He also warned not to expect a quick end to social distancing:

As COVID-19 spreads across the country, it appears to be infecting and killing black Americans at a disproportionately high rate, according to a Washington Post analysis of early data.

As the Coronavirus began to spread, officials in California acted quickly.  Vox looks at how the actions of state officials differed from those in New York and what might be learned from them going forward.

84 residents are being removed from Magnolia Rehabilitation and Nursing Center to other facilities after a dozen employees of the facility did not come to work for two consecutive days.

The public health director of LA County told families on Tuesday that it would be “perfectly appropriate” to pull loved ones out of long-term facilities for their safety.

The city of Palm Springs has issued an order imposing stricter fines for the violation of social distancing orders.  The fine amounts for the first violation may be up to $5,000, with a second violation punishable by up to $10,000. The citing officer is allowed to use their discretion to determine the amount of the fine after taking account the severity of the violation.

The Riverside City Council rejected lowering their salary to $1 per month during the pandemic.  City Councilman Chuck Conder had called for the temporary pay cut saying, “We told our residents to go home, stay home, not earn a living. And we as city employees still get employed…We need to understand that we lead by example as elected leaders.”  Council members will continue to make $3,448 per month.

San Bernardino County’s Public Health Officer has now ordered covering your face when you leave the house:

Congressman Raul Ruiz will offer an online information session on mental health this evening:

Meanwhile, his opponent in the fall election tweeted this:

The operations of Southern California Goodwill Industries and the Salvation Army are facing issues with donations.  While people continue to donate to the organizations, those items aren’t getting into the organization’s retail supply chain, due to closed retail outlets and  layoffs and furloughs to employees.  Goodwill is asking Gov. Gavin Newsom to have its donation collection reclassified as essential.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship plans to hold it’s next pay-per-view event on tribal land in Central California later this month.  The location is an attempted end run around widespread federal and state guidelines against holding large gatherings during the coronavirus pandemic.  “This place where this fight is going to be on April 18 I have locked up for two months, so I’m going to continue to pump fights out,” Dana White told ESPN on Monday.  The Association of Ringside Physicians issued a statement against holding bouts during a pandemic saying, “Any combat sport taking place during this global pandemic places the athletes, officials, and anyone else involved in the event under unnecessary risk of infection and transmission of COVID-19.”

Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter and Square, announced he is donating a 1/3 of his wealth to COVID-19 relief:

Ernie Ball’s  guitar accessories plant, located in Coachella, has transformed a portion of its manufacturing facility to produce approximately 400, two-ply 100% cotton knit jersey masks each day to help meet the community’s increased need. “We are dedicating our accessories and strap manufacturing departments to producing mask and are making it a top priority,” Brian Ball, CEO of Ernie Ball said in a press release. “The Coachella Valley is our home and we want to help both local charities and the residents as well.”

Toilet paper makers are working 24/7 to get more in stores.

Thank you to our first responders and health officials:

That’s all for this morning.  We will get through this.  Stay safe. Stay smart. Stay home. Thank you for continued your 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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