Coachella Valley coronavirus news and info | Thursday evening, April 9

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 Thursday, Riverside County officials have confirmed 1,280 people have tested positive for COVID-19.  There have been 33 confirmed deaths in the county.

As of 8 am Thursday, San Bernardino County has confirmed 641 cases of COVID-19.  There has been 20 deaths in San Bernardino County.

As of 2:35 pm Thursday, there have been 19,691 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in California.  There have been 538 confirmed deaths in the state.

The total number of deaths in the United States has passed 16,000 people.

For an interactive map to see COVID-19 cases in Southern California by city / community, click here.

There have been two cases of COVID-19 confirmed at the Twentynine Palms Marine base, according to Z107.7.  One is a child who has mild symptoms which do not require hospitalization.  The other, a Marine, is in quarantine.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department has identified three additional employees who have confirmed cases of COVID-19.  A deputy assigned to a patrol station as a detective had been off of work over the last two weeks with flu-like symptoms. Two professional staff employees, one assigned to corrections and one assigned to a patrol station in an administrative position, have also been off work with flu-like symptoms before getting tested.  The department says that all three are all doing well and recovering.

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday assured Californians that the state will have enough ventilators to “meet the needs” of those stricken by COVID-19 based on the state’s projections of the outbreak.  The governor also defended lending 500 ventilators to New York, New Jersey, and Illinois.  “We can’t just sit on assets when we can save lives and help our fellow Americans, so I just want to clear up any anxiety in that space or any ambiguity or any misinformation,” he said during his daily news conference.

Some stores are considering taking customers temperatures before they are allowed to enter.

An old Sears store in Riverside has been selected as the second Riverside County site for a temporary field hospital.

The city of La Quinta has toughened its moratorium on short-term vacation rentals to now require city approval to ensure would-be renters meet the the criteria for exemptions including temporary housing for emergency and health care workers or those who can’t return to their home because someone they live with is under quarantine for the virus.  The move comes after several citizen complaints.

The mayor of Indio would like you to practice social distancing and “mask up”:

A message from Indio's Mayor

How can we get through this together? Take a quick listen to this message from Indio Mayor Glenn A Miller.

Posted by The City of Indio – Government on Thursday, April 9, 2020

The number of flights departing Ontario International Airport in April is being reduced by one-third compared to March.  Airport officials are reducing staffing and closing some operations in anticipation of further flight reductions that most likely will continue for several more months.

The UFC, which had planned to host a pay-per-view event on California tribal land, has cancelled those plans:

Reposted from this morning’s updates in case you missed it: Here’s an animation of how far the coronavirus can travel if someone with it were to cough in a grocery store (just in case you were thinking about not wearing a mask):

The Indio Police Department took a minute to say thank you:

CouchChella is taking place tomorrow as Coachella will release a documentary about its first 20 years on YouTube.  For those who would like to enjoy some Spicy Pie pizza while watching, here’s how to do that.

Thinking about take-out?

GM We are open 10 AM to 3 PM call in your order pay on phone pick up @door we will have NO contact .. we are complying…

Posted by Luscious Lorraine's on Wednesday, April 8, 2020

SNL is going to have a some time of episode this weekend:

That’s all for this evening.  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.