Coachella Valley coronavirus update | News and info for Tuesday morning, 3/24

Railroad tracks on the north side of Salton Sea (?: Mark Noriega)

Cactus Hugs has been tracking local stories about the coronavirus.  Some links might be behind that other website’s paywall…nothing we can do about that, sorry.  For a rundown of all of our updates, click here.

  • Riverside County confirmed three more positive cases of COVID-19 on Monday afternoon.  The total number of infected is now 48. There have been six deaths in the county.
  • San Bernardino County has confirmed 17 total cases of COVID-19.  There have not been any reported deaths.
  • There have been 2,246 confirmed cases in California and 42 confirmed deaths in the state.
  • The co-founder of Instagram has started a data-driven website with lots of stats and info about the spread of coronavirus:

  • There has been a steep rise in people being hospitalized with coronavirus in LA County.  Experts believe this wave of extremely sick patients could overwhelm hospitals in the coming weeks.
  • On Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom said California needs 50,000 additional hospital beds to meet an expected surge of COVID-19 patients. Even with those added beds, the state would still be 17,000 beds short.   The Governor also said that social distancing measures might last another two to three months.  “It’s going to take a heroic effort,” Newsom exclaimed.
  • Donald Trump is stating that he would like businesses to open up again, but he will keep be sure to keep a loving eye on your grandma for you:

  • The call to reopen businesses comes after the shut down of six of Trump’s top seven revenue-producing clubs and hotels, which will likely cost Trump’s company millions of dollars in revenue, reports the Washington Post.
  • Meanwhile, the Senate still hasn’t passed a bill to provide you financial help during all this.  But, they say they are close.
  • Riverside County will soon open the doors of hotels and motels for the homeless during the pandemic.
  • The City of La Quinta donated 1,500 N95 masks and coveralls that were being stored in their emergency operations center to Desert Regional Medical Center.  They then challenged other cities to do the same.
  • The City of Palm Springs has placed a ban on all vacation rentals and hotel stays for anyone unless it’s being used for critical infrastructure workforce or is being used  as part of the COVID-19 response.
  • Rancho Mirage has placed a temporary moratorium on all Short-Term Rentals in the city.
  • All jury trials in the state of California have been suspended for 60 days.
  • This was the scene at the Palm Desert Costco this morning:

  • A local singer is posted on social media over the weekend that he would come to your home and sing curbside (at a safe social distance). As the Desert Sun reports, he ended up performing for 22 residences singing songs like  Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” and Dean Martin’s  “That’s Amore.”

It's time to spread some positivity across the Coachella Valley!Introducing Curb-side Song Delivery!! On Sunday…

Posted by Chris Lomeli Sounds on Friday, March 20, 2020

  • Reminder: Veteran journalist Janet Dagley guest posted for Cactus Hugs about the numerous ways to stay informed and entertained during this time using local online libraries and apps.
  • An Arizona man died and his wife was is in the hospital after health officials say they self-medicated using a fish tank additive that has the same active ingredient as an anti-malaria drug promoted by the president.
  • There seems to have been quite a lot of interest to help a local Facebook group make masks for healthcare workers

Thank you for the terrific turnout at Freedom Park this afternoon. We handed out our first 100 mask-making kits in the…

Posted by Coachella Valley Mask Makers on Monday, March 23, 2020

  • Augustine Casino says that employees will continue to receive compensation and benefits while the casino is closed.

  • The last few days have been hard on The Sandwich Spot in Palm Springs.  Half the staff has been laid off (with hopes to rehire again), but the restaurant is still open and offering deliveries.
  • Restaurants are encouraging people to participate in the #TheGreatAmericanTakeout today by ordering takeout meals from local restaurants or getting delivery.
  • Here’s a guide to take-out, curbside, and delivery specials being offered by Coachella Valley restaurants.

Important information:

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.