Coachella Valley coronavirus news and info | Wednesday evening, April 22

By
Casey Dolan
-
(?: Sue Farris)

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 Wednesday, Riverside County officials have confirmed:

  • 3,084 people have tested positive for COVID-19.    
  • 99 people are confirmed to have died in the county from the coronavirus.  
  • There are currently 250 confirmed cases hospitalized, with 81 of them in the ICU.
  • There have been 789 official recovered cases in the county.

As of 2 pm Wednesday, San Bernardino County has confirmed 1,578 cases of COVID-19.  There have been 72 deaths in San Bernardino County.

As of 2:45 pm Wednesday, there have been 37,343 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in California.  There have been 1,419 confirmed deaths in the state.

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

Instagram is accelerating plans to introduce a feature to memorialize a deceased person’s account.  They are rolling out the program earlier than expected due to large number of people dying due to the coronavirus:

When the country went first went into lockdown to prepare for the first wave of the coronavirus, many doctors felt confident they knew what they were dealing with.  But, as the Washington Post reports, things have changed. “Based on early reports, covid-19 appeared to be a standard variety respiratory virus, albeit a contagious and lethal one with no vaccine and no treatment. They’ve since seen how covid-19 attacks not only the lungs, but also the kidneys, heart, intestines, liver and brain.”

After autopsy results showed two people died in California in early and mid-February, the Governor has directed coroners to go back to December to investigate if COVID-19 was in the state earlier than originally thought:

The director of the CDC attempted to clarify comments he made about the coronavirus being potentially worse in the fall by saying,” I didn’t say that this was going to be worse, I said it was going to be more difficult and potentially complicated” which sounds like another way to say, ummm, worse:

California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday that he is expanding efforts to reach underserved communities affected by opening 86 new testing sites in the state:

California will also begin to ease restrictions on surgeries:

After two house cats tested positive for COVID-19 in New York, Dr. Antony Fauci said that while pets can be infected, “there is no evidence” that coronavirus can be transmitted from a pet to a human”:

Wednesday, the Mayor of Palm Springs announced The Palm Springs Business Transition and Re-Entry Task Force, which will focus on what businesses will need to do to safely reopen when the time is right.  The Desert Sun reports that national and local tourism officials are optimistic that people “will want to travel again after being indoors for shelter-in-place orders, and Palm Springs could be a popular destination for those coming from driving distance markets like Los Angeles and San Diego.”

As for large numbers of people arriving to the valley by air, based on a recent poll, that might be awhile:

A Cactus Hugs reader and golf course worker offered a comment Wednesday morning in which he expressed reservations about local courses being allowed to open during a pandemic.  Reposted below, unedited:

As a worker at a local golf course, the idea of me going back is insane. We work for tips, but in the non season it’s tough in the best of times.
Now, we’re supposed to go back and risk exposing ourselves and families, so folks can play a game? Staff is to be trained. Hahaha. Basically, I am supposed to be a hazmat expert, who understands COVID-19 symptoms, sterilization procedures and the golf course will provide me with the necessary gear? Lol. All for the low paying wage?
Sorry no.
Just asking. Who’s going to protect employees? Who’s going to supervise these golf courses who will never provide the essentials for workers? Themselves? You’re opening up Pandora’s Box all for a recreational activity!

Meanwhile, a local sports TV anchor triumphantly announced his return to the links:

San Bernardino County will begin to reopen golf courses as well as parks and trails this weekend.

Coachella Valley school districts are working on having digital graduations and then hosting ceremonies in the future.

The Palm Desert Mayor had some thoughts on opening things up this week.  Cactus Hugs suggested starting with cooling centers.

A prominent So Cal real estate developer talked about the industry with the Press Enterprise.  One interesting thing he said he is keeping his eye on is “decoupling” rates – a key factor driving the popular two-bedroom apartment.  His thoughts, while a two-bedroom apartment makes sense to save money by having a roommate, prolonged health fears may make one-bedroom very popular.

The number of drivers caught going faster than 100 mph was 87% more during the first month of California’s stay-at-home order than during the same timeframe last year – even as overall traffic on the roads has plummeted:

And while it may seem tempting, it’s also pretty douchey to drive those kinds of speeds right now.

CNN and Sesame Street will team up this weekend for a coronavirus town hall for kids and parents:

With CouchChella in the rearview mirror, here’s how to enjoy StageCouch this weekend.

A local date farmer and restaurateur have teamed up to provide weekly farm to home deliveries.  CV Harvest Box has three delivery options and your box will include items like corn on the cob, green beans, herbs, dates, and more:

Finally, an important TikTok investigation :

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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