Welcome to 5 Things to Know – a daily rundown of things you might want to be aware of if you live in, visit, or just like being aware about what’s going on in Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley. As always, thank you for your continued support of Cactus Hugs.
1) The Coronavirus
Riverside County reported 901 new cases and 13 new reported deaths since Wednesday. There have been 1,457 reported deaths from coronavirus this year in Riverside County. The county reported 649 COVID-19 patients in county hospitals. That’s more than at any other point in the pandemic and it has been rising steadily over the last couple of weeks.
Here is the latest on what’s going on in the desert:
December 3 — #COVID19 in the #CoachellaValley (+/- from day before):
18,942 reported cases (+109)
7-day avg = 84 new cases/day (+13)418 deaths (+4)
15,994 recoveries (+46)If you leave out the day after Thanksgiving, the 6-day daily average is 95 new cases per day. pic.twitter.com/RSpGGhnDwI
— Kevin Duncliffe (@kevinduncliffe) December 3, 2020
Wednesday Dec 2 — #COVID19 patients in #CoachellaValley hospitals (+/- from Tuesday):
109 confirmed (+5)
3 suspected (same)112 TOTAL (+5)
+14 last 7 days18 in ICU (+1) pic.twitter.com/HcT6h3ERIv
— Kevin Duncliffe (@kevinduncliffe) December 3, 2020
More:
Our ICUs are climbing quickly toward their capacity. Our death rate is rising.
To slow the surge of #COVID19 and save lives, CA is introducing a Regional Stay-At-Home Order.
Regions where ICU capacity⁰fall below 15% will be placed into this Stay-at-Home Order ⁰for 3 weeks.
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) December 3, 2020
Sectors that will be temporarily closed when a region is placed into the Stay-At-Home include:
– Bars
– Wineries
– Personal Services
– Hair Salons / Barbershops— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) December 3, 2020
It's important to stay active and connected during these times.
Keep connected virtually.
Get outdoors:
•Go to a park or a beach
•Go on a hike
•Go on a bike ride
•Go fishing
•Do yoga
•Walk your dog
•Go on a run
•Go skiing, snowboarding— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) December 3, 2020
Region breakdown: pic.twitter.com/YxUcDGSKTy
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) December 4, 2020
Biden says he'll ask all Americans to wear a mask to prevent the spread of the coronavirus for the first 100 days of his administration https://t.co/eY8C3p1jFq
— Bloomberg (@business) December 3, 2020
BREAKING: U.S. reports 210,000 new coronavirus cases, setting world record
— BNO Newsroom (@BNODesk) December 4, 2020
Hope is on the way. It’s not here yet and things are going from bad to worse. Please, be safe. Wear a mask. Be careful. Be smart.
2) Banning man dead in freeway crash near Cabazon
A 56-year-old Banning man was killed after his SUV overturned after a tire blowout on the 10 freeway near Cabazon. David Foxworth was pronounced dead at the scene. His’s wife and children were injured in the crash, which happened about 5 pm near Main Street.
Officer Matt Napier said Foxworth was at the wheel of a Chevrolet Suburban that had just passed Haugen-Lehmann Way when one of the SUV’s tires abruptly went flat.
3) Hey remember that whole thing with the developers and the former mayor?
The legal process for ex-Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnet and two Coachella Valley developers accused of buying his vote has been a very, very long one – but, there’s an actual hearing scheduled for Friday in Indio.
Pougnet and developers Richard Meaney and John Wessman were indicted on Aug. 15, 2019, after the case was presented to a grand jury by the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office.
Attorneys for the defendants are expected to argue that the felony charges against their clients should be dismissed.
4) Airport Fire grows to 750 acres
A fire that erupted near the Corona Municipal Airport has grown to 750 acres. The Airport Fire started on Tuesday and has spread rapidly due to strong winds. The flames have prompted the closure of State Route 71 in both directions between the 91 Freeway and Highway 83.
The #AirportFire is now 750 acres and 10% contained. Highway 71 remains closed. This will be the final update for the night unless significant incident activity occurs. pic.twitter.com/yqihi5I12n
— CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire Department (@CALFIRERRU) December 4, 2020
5) Rancho Mirage has upped the fees to operate a short-term rental
Rancho Mirage will begin charging $1,700 per year for a short-term rental permit fee after concluding the paltry $399 per year wasn’t covering the costs of dealing with all the issues associated with the units for the city. The move is expected to increase revenue from STR permits to $340,043 a year, up from $79,800.
Stay safe. Stay smart. Practice Social Distancing. Wear a mask.
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