Coachella Valley coronavirus news and info | Friday, May 8

By
Casey Dolan
-
(?: Debbie Duardo)

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 4 pm Thursday, Riverside County officials have confirmed:

  • 4,756 people have tested positive for COVID-19.  84 people have tested positive in the last 24 hours.  
  • 192 people are confirmed to have died in the county from the coronavirus. There were six new people reported dead in the last 24 hours.
  • There are currently 196 confirmed cases hospitalized, with 81 of them in the ICU.
  • There have been 2,217 official recovered cases in the county.
  • The county has conducted 64,986 tests.

As of 4 pm Thursday, San Bernardino County has confirmed 2,562 cases of COVID-19.  There have been 108 deaths in San Bernardino County.

As of 11 pm Thursday, there have been 62,477 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in California.  There have been 2,545 confirmed deaths in the state.

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

A new study offers a glimmer of hope in the fight against the coronavirus: Nearly everyone who has had the disease makes antibodies to the virus.  The study, which has not yet reviewed by experts, also hints that anyone who has recovered from infection may safely return to work — although it is unclear how long their protection might last.  The study did find that the level of antibodies did not differ by age or sex, and even people who had only mild symptoms produced a healthy amount.

Beginning today, some businesses in the state are being allowed to reopen.  According to the state’s guidelines, retailers should increase pick-up and delivery and encourage social distancing, along with other measures. Manufacturers  and warehouse are also allowed to reopen, following social distancing guidelines.  Riverside County confirmed in a news release on Thursday that limited curbside retail would be allowed, saying the “county is not placing additional restrictions determining which businesses may operate in the governor’s reopening phase that starts tomorrow.”

The city of Palm Springs will allow golf, tennis and pickleball again in the city.  Pickelball and tennis courts could potentially reopen on Monday.  Golf courses may reopen, but operators must submit a written plan to the city that demonstrates their ability to ensure compliance with health orders and social distancing.

As businesses reopen and health orders are relaxed, many people are asking how to act and what to do to stay safe.  The Atlantic has created a guide that includes suggestions ranging from taking your kids to the park, seeing family and friends, and dining out.

In a new ABC News/Ipsos poll, 64% of Americans say opening the country now is not worth it because it will mean more lives being lost.  The poll found that nearly all Democrats (92%) say opening the country is not worth it, which is nearly 60 percentage points higher than Republicans (35%). There is a more than a 30-point difference between non-white Americans (84%) and white Americans (52%) who hold this view. At the same time, 72% of women do not believe opening the country is worth it due to more lives being lost, compared to 54% of men.

The LA Times reports on California’s protests of the stay-at-home orders – which, despite a very diverse state, have been made up of primarily of white people.  “When Latinos are out protesting immigration or other problems, the first things you hear are white people saying, ‘Get a job!’ or ‘Follow the rules!’”  Alexis Rodriguez of East Los Angeles told the newspaper. “But when it’s white people in Huntington Beach, it’s all about ‘fighting for your rights.’”  Mike Posey, a Huntington Beach city councilman said he has “a hard time believing there’s a racial element to the protests.”  He told the Times, “Beaches are open to everyone and the beaches are free… All I saw in the news is people asking the governor for the beach back and for science and data and not to single out Orange County.”

The unemployment rate in the United States jumped to 14.7 percent in April, the highest level since the Great Depression.  The jobless rate was pushed higher because 20.5 million people lost their jobs during April.  The job losses are roughly double what the country experienced during the 2007-09 financial crisis.

Meanwhile, hourly wages were up nearly 5% from March to April, significantly higher than the 0.3% average monthly increase seen from the previous 12 months. In addition, paychecks grew by nearly 8% from a year ago, which was way more than the average 3.5% yearly increase Americans have seen over the past year.  So, how are average wages going up this much during a pandemic?  The answer: People in lower-paying services jobs have been among the first to get laid off or furloughed, which then literally takes those low wages out of the equation and sends the average up.

Senators Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders, and Ed Markey will introduce a bill aimed at establishing a rebate payment program that would deliver $2,000 dollars to US residents including children until the coronavirus pandemic has ended. Their bill would issue payments to US residents no matter if they have a social security number. This bill would grant married couples who file together $4,000 and $2,000 for each child up to three — per month. It would also block debt collectors access to seize payments from individuals who owe money.

A day after reports that a White House valet tested positive for COVID-19, a staff member of Vice President Mike Pence has tested positive for coronavirus:

 

Garden Fresh — the parent company of Souplantation and Sweet Tomatoes — is permanently closing all 97 locations, as the coronavirus pandemic makes it increasingly difficult for buffet-centric restaurants to survive.  The restaurants last served customers in March, when they closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Nordstrom will close 16 of its stores around the country, including two Inland Empire locations in Montclair and Riverside.

You may have seen people on your Facebook feed share a 26 minute video called “Plandemic: The Hidden Agenda Behind COVID-19,” over the last few days. The video has since been removed by Facebook and YouTube, but not before generating millions of views. The video highlights conspiracies about the origin of the coronavirus and a claim that wearing a face mask activates your own virus?  So, are the claims accurate?  Not at all, according to PolitiFact.

The Desert Sun highlights some Sun City Palm Desert residents, who have been busy organizing donation drives for PPE supplies, making masks, and running errands for those who cannot do so.

The NFL announced their 2020 schedule on Thursday and, while the schedule seems pretty much like every other season, there are some contingency plans built in should the league need to delay the start of the season The include pushing the Super Bowl back weeks or months, eliminating the Pro Bowl week, and the league has every team sharing the same bye week as its Week 2 opponent, giving the league further flexibility on an additional week.

Finally some Riverside County buildings are being lit up green this month:

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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