Coachella Valley coronavirus news and info | Wednesday, July 22

By
Casey Dolan
-

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 3 pm Wednesday, Riverside County officials have confirmed:

  • 31,982 people have officially tested positive for COVID-19.  1,092 people have been reported positive in the last 24 hours.
  • 617 people are confirmed to have died in the county from the coronavirus. This number includes 28 people reported dead in the last 24 hours.

Here’s the latest from the Coachella Valley:

As of 3 pm Wednesday, San Bernardino County has confirmed:

  • 25,755 people have officially tested positive for COVID-19.
  • 337 people are confirmed to have died in the county from the coronavirus.

As of 4 pm Wednesday, the State of California has confirmed:

      • 419,464 people have official tested positive for COVID-19.
      • 8,017 people are confirmed to have died in the state of CA from the coronavirus.

Just a quick note here before the updates:  There are quite a lot of numbers up there.  It’s easy to get used to and / or become numb to them.  Don’t.  In the last 24 hours, 28 people in the county, including 12 in the Coachella Valley were reported dead from the coronavirus.  Those are people’s moms and sons and friends and neighbors and, well, it’s just all so fucking awful. Our leaders failed us and they should be held accountable. Look elsewhere in the world and you will see that it didn’t have to be this way.  But, here we are.  So…

Be smart. 

Practice social distancing. 

Wear a mask. 

Register to vote. 

And when it’s election day…vote.

 

And now the updates…

There have been many out there quick to claim that coronavirus isn’t deadly and it’s just being used by hospitals to make money or by politicians to make those who are in power look bad.  But, here’s the deal, in just one chart, that shows COVID-19 is not fake, it’s very real, and it’s freakin’ awful:

Here’s what is currently happening in California…and it’s not good:

Mayors across the desert and Southern California are calling on the state and federal governments to give more money to municipalities for coronavirus-related expenses. While most cities in the state received $12 per resident as part of $500 million in federal CARES Act money, seven cities received about $85 per resident.  Palm Springs City Council members sent a letter officials demanding a higher payout. “For example, the city of Riverside has approximately seven times more full-time residents than Palm Springs, yet Riverside received 50 times more funding ($600,000 vs. $28,000,000),” the letter said.  The mayor of Palm Springs told the Desert Sun that his city needs funding as it has been hit especially hard from lack of tourism. “A lot of cities are hurting,” he said. “We have almost double the projected loss of revenue directly from COVID-19 than the city of Riverside.”

The city of La Quinta received $502,034 in CARES money.  They will be using it to offer funding to recently closed (again) sectors of the economy, including salons, barbershops, massage therapists, fitness centers and other businesses.

There’s a new hotline in Riverside County for coronavirus workplace concerns. If you’re concerned about COVID-19 spreading at your place of work, you can either call (951) 955-5950 or email to covid-19phbizsupport@ruhealth.org.  A county spokesperson told KESQ that they have received hundreds of calls since launching the program just two days ago.

Donald Trump held a coronavirus press conference for the second day in a row and, this won’t surprise you, he continued to tell a ton of dangerous lies:

And while he was saying everything is just dandy and you have nothing to worry about….remember, pay attention to what they do, not what they say:

Currently, those out of work are receiving unemployment benefits of $600 per week.  But, that is scheduled to end at the end of the month. Republicans are discussing lowering the payout going forward…to only $400 per month:

“Tenet,” the highly anticipated new film from Christopher Nolan was expected to arrive in theaters this summer.  Its release date was pushed back a couple of times and now the studio has delayed its release indefinitely.  Other studios are expected to follow suit and it may be quite a while before we see the theatrical release of a blockbuster movie again.

Finally…

Thank you for your continued support of Cactus Hugs.

Seriously, register to vote.

Be safe.

These are stressful times for all of us. Coping with stress will make you, the people you care about, and our desert community stronger. This link has some resources to help with coping and also numbers to call or text if you, or someone you know, feels overwhelmed.

Please, take care of yourself and each other. You are important. You are valued. You are loved. ??

Anything we missed? Let us know about it.

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