Coachella Valley coronavirus update | News and info for Wednesday evening, 3/25

(?: Phill Tanner)

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.

  • As of 6 pm Wednesday, Riverside County officials have confirmed 107 people have tested positive for COVID-19. There have been 8 deaths in the county.
  • San Bernardino County has confirmed 54 cases of COVID-19.  There has been 2 deaths in San Bernardino County.
  • Of the 2,535 people who have tested positive in the state for COVID-19, over half have been under the age of 50, leading the Governor to plead with everyone to “take this seriously.”

https://twitter.com/GavinNewsom/status/1242915578534219776

  • Residents of nursing homes are not being allowed back after the visit the hospital for  for fear that they may have COVID-19.  The LA Times reports on a 99-year old woman in Pasadena who was hospitalized with pneumonia and got better quickly,  But now her nursing home won’t take her back because she can’t prove she doesn’t have the coronavirus. The woman was tested 12 days ago, but the results aren’t back yet.
  • A 73-year-old La Quinta woman who fell ill to coronavirus talked to the Desert Sun about how difficult it was to get tested for the virus. “I told everyone I had been exposed and I couldn’t get them to give me a test,” she told the paper. “Urgent care told me I was fine, and when I went to the hospital a few days later, I also told them I had been exposed, but they didn’t separate me from everyone else.”
  • Eight firefighters in Long Beach have tested positive for COVID-19.  All eight shared common location while working and are currently all in stable condition.
  • Hospitals around the nation are now considering universal do-not-resuscitate orders for coronavirus patients, reports the Washington Post. Health officials worry that “all hands” responses may expose doctors and nurses to infection.
  • Some medical experts believe that a sudden loss of smell and taste might be an early sign of infection.
  • The Governor announced that plenty of banks will offer a 90-day grace period for mortgage payments:

https://twitter.com/GavinNewsom/status/1242905395011538947

  • One million Californians have applied for unemployment.
  • The Cheesecake Factory is telling its landlords around the country that it will stop paying rent.
  • An Inland Empire truck stop is selling gas for under $2:

https://twitter.com/CBSLA/status/1242843142644097024

  • The Senate is somehow still dickin’ around with the bill to send financial relief to you and your family.
  • Palm Desert has, with few exceptions, closed hotels and short-term rentals:

https://twitter.com/PalmDesertGov/status/1242949855045017601

  • Cactus Hugs offered up a quarantine hote t It’s times like these that you realize there are too many cities in the Coachella Valley.
  • Palm Desert will hold the last of its four mandated public hearings to select its new ridiculous district map on Thursday.  Due to COVID-19, those who don’t want to attend in person can submit comments and request they are read into the public record. The Desert Sun has the info on how to send your comments.
  • Every Coachella Valley casino is now closed as Red Earth Casino closed its doors on Sunday.
  • Riverside County’s top health official reminds you that Riverside County is in California and that the state’s rules apply here:

https://twitter.com/RivCoDoc/status/1242948138752606208

  • The City of La Quinta reminds that the its golf courses are supposed to be closed:

https://twitter.com/CityofLaQuinta/status/1242932474583240704

  • It would appear that some Coachella Valley golf courses don’t think the rules apply to them:

https://twitter.com/Larry_Bohannan/status/1242872472308838400

  • The Riverside County Office of Education has launched a digital art contest with cash prizes.  Arts Connects is open to students in the county K – 12, will give awards each week, and, perhaps most importantly, gives students something to do with their creativity right now.
  • TIL it’s not just toilet paper that’s hard to find in stores and being offered at ridiculous prices on the internet.

https://twitter.com/thecaseydolan/status/1242858756070715392

  • Bruce Fessier had a good experience at the Walmart (and probably didn’t grab me any salt):

https://twitter.com/BruceFessier/status/1242913606271819776

  • This was Costco today:

https://twitter.com/stonecold2050/status/1242898879235780608

  • The local TV and Congressman Raul Ruiz are practicing social distancing:

https://twitter.com/MadiKESQ/status/1242964746304778241

  • Disneyland’s Dapper Dan’s are at home…but still singing (and even taking requests):

https://youtu.be/XvPRv0zVacs

  • Little Bar in Palm Desert will begin take out orders of burgers, tater tots, and even White Claws beginning on Thursday.

https://www.facebook.com/skipslittlebar/photos/a.427087141350258/577320636326907/?type=3&theater

  • City Wok in Palm Desert will reportedly start providing hot meals to unemployed restaurant workers next week:

https://twitter.com/EverettDaytona/status/1242912814676639744

Important information:

    • https://twitter.com/EisenhowerHeal/status/1237090645920993288
    • 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.