Riverside County confirms 84 new coronavirus cases, 6 deaths in last 24 hours

Riverside County cases have increased to 4,756. The number of reported cases jumped by 84 in the past 24 hours.

This Monday the number of cases was at 4,180 while the previous Monday, the cases were at 3,563.

Visit KESQ.com/Coronavirus for local coverage

Recoveries surpassed 2,000 on Wednesday, and today, that total continued to climb, reaching 2,217 today.

At the start of the week, recoveries were at 1,971.

Health officials define 'recovered' individuals as "living, confirmed cases who no longer have symptoms and have completed isolation requirements as determined by ongoing Public Health investigation operations."

As for hospitalization numbers, that total decreased to 196 with 81 patients in the ICU.

The number has fluctuated, but this week the number of hospitalized has hovered around the 210 to 215 area all week. The ICU totals have been hovering around 75-78 all week.

There were 6 new confirmed deaths across the county bringing the total from 186 to 192. Palm Desert is the only valley city that reported a new death.

On Monday, Riverside County reported an increase of 20, one of the largest day-to-day increase in Riverside County. The total of deaths increased from 161 to 181.

According to county spokesperson Brooke Federico, the number of deaths increase more at the start of the month.

"What this is is that once a week we do a review of our death certificates and confirm which of those deaths were related to COVID-19 and usually we see this increase at the beginning of each month where the jump is a little higher than our other days throughout the week," Federico said in a county update.

The county's most recent death report shows that males make up more than double the number of deaths, despite the fact that there are approximately 2,000 more cases among females than in males.

Additionally, most of the deaths have been in the 65-84 age range at 77 as of May 1. Last week's report has that number at 61

The 40 to 64 age range has the highest number of cases with 1,700.

Coachella has the most cases in the county with 150. Indio follows closely with 147. Palm Springs has the most deaths with 9 but the number of cases and deaths has stabilized significantly in the past couple of weeks.

Cases by Coachella Valley cities & communities (As of 5/7/2020)
· Bermuda Dunes
Confirmed Cases: 4
Deaths: 0
· Cabazon
Confirmed Cases: 3
Deaths: 1
· Cathedral City
Confirmed Cases: 102
Deaths: 1
· Coachella
Confirmed Cases: 150
Deaths: 3
· Desert Edge
Confirmed Cases: 3
Deaths: 0
· Desert Hot Springs
Confirmed Cases: 47
Deaths: 0
· Desert Palms
Confirmed Cases: 8
Deaths: 0
· Garnet
Confirmed Cases: 9
Deaths: 0
· Indian Wells
Confirmed Cases: 14
Deaths: 0
· Indio
Confirmed Cases: 147
Deaths: 5
· La Quinta
Confirmed Cases: 78
Deaths: 4
· Mecca
Confirmed Cases: 33
Deaths: 1
· North Shore
Confirmed Cases: 9
Deaths: 0
· Oasis
Confirmed Cases: 18
Deaths: 0
· Palm Desert
Confirmed Cases: 106
Deaths: 7
· Palm Springs
Confirmed Cases: 106
Deaths: 9
· Rancho Mirage
Confirmed Cases: 28
Deaths: 3
· Sky Valley
Confirmed Cases: 2
Deaths: 0
· Thermal
Confirmed Cases: 11
Deaths: 0
· Thousand Palms
Confirmed Cases: 7
Deaths: 0
· County Jails
There are 159 cases in the County's jails, with 2 deaths, and 120 recoveries.

The city of Riverside has the most cases in the county with 875 with 54 deaths.

Click here to see cases by zip code

Cases by Age Range:

• 0-4: 42
• 5-17: 151
• 18-39: 1,427
• 40-64: 1,865
• 65-79: 625
• 80+: 325

Testing continues to increase across Riverside County, which may be behind the increased number of diagnosed cases. County data shows that 58,878 patients have been tested so far. Riverside County Supervisor Manny Perez said about 2-percent of the county's population has been tested.

Symptoms

• Fever
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Chills
• Repeated shaking with chills
• Muscle pain
• Headache
• Sore throat
• New loss of taste or smell

You can call the Centers for Disease Control with any questions at 211 and 800–CDC –INFO (800 – 232 – 4636).

If you want to be seen at Eisenhower Health, call their 24-hour coronavirus hotline first at 760-837-8988 or 760-TEST988. Avoid the spread of this illness.

These symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus, according to the CDC.

How to get tested

If you are experiencing a medical emergency, call 911.

You can get a test even if you do not have symptoms. Testing was expanded to include all residents on April 17.

Riverside County has testing sites in Indio, Blythe, Perris, Riverside, and Lake Elsinore.

If you want to get tested at one of the other five Riverside County testing sites, you will need to call 800-945-6171 to set up an appointment. Officials said the turnaround time for test results is typically 3-4 days.

Another testing site is set to open in Coachella, on 85365 Dillon Road. The Coachella site will be open Fridays and Saturdays beginning May 1. Call (833) 624-1097 to set-up a testing appointment.

Eight new testing sites have opened across Riverside County that could test 1,000 people every day.

The following locations will be open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. by appointment only:

• Mecca Boys and Girls Club
  91391 66th Ave
  Mecca, Ca
  (County officials confirmed this location will open on Friday, May 8)
• Moses Schaffer Community Center
  21565 Steele Peak
  Perris, CA 92570
• Mead Valley Senior Center
  21091 Rider St., Suite 102
  Perris, CA 92570
• Jurupa Valley Fleet Center 
  5293 Mission Boulevard
  Riverside, CA 92509
• Nellie Weaver Hall
  3737 Crestview
  Norco, CA 92860

The following locations will be open Tuesday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.:

• Lozano Community Center
  12-800 West Arroyo
  Desert Hot Springs, CA 92240
  (County officials confirmed this location will open on Friday, May 8)
• Noble Creek Community Center
  390 W. Oak Valley Parkway
  Beaumont, CA 92223
• Valle Vista Community Center
  43935 E. Acacia Ave.
  Hemet, CA 92544

Appointments at these facilities can be made online by going to https://lhi.care/covidtesting or calling 888-634-1123.

CA releases new guidelines that will allow some businesses to reopen on Friday May 8

Governor Gavin Newsom and other state officials released new guidelines to move California into stage 2 of the roadmap to recovery. Stage 2 will see some retail businesses open for pick-up and curbside delivery, manufacturing plants, and warehouses/logistics reopen.

Stores that will be allowed to open with curbside service if they meet other safety requirements include bookstores, clothing stores, florists and sporting goods stores.

Higher-risk businesses like hair salons and gyms, offices and dining in restaurants will come later.

Newsom’s plan may allow some local governments to move faster than the state if they hit certain criteria. Counties must show they can meet certain testing and tracing requirements and that their health care systems can handle a potential surge.

Full details: Gov. Newsom reveals guidelines to reopen some businesses

County Supervisors to vote on proposal to remove county orders on Friday

The Riverside County Board of Supervisory are set to vote on a proposal that would remove the county's stricter health orders and align with the state's orders.

The proposal would eliminate orders such as the closure of schools, limitations on short term lodging, restrictions on golf courses, and the requirement of face masks and social distancing.

Watch: Riverside County could end coronavirus orders next week, health experts warn it's too soon

The proposal would align the county to Governor Newsom's less stringent stay-at-home order, in which face coverings are recommended, but not mandatory.

The Board of Supervisors were originally set to vote on the proposal on Tuesday, however, the vote was delayed as the supervisors wanted to see Governor Newsom's guidelines are before voting.

Full Story: County Supervisors delay vote to rescind health orders until Friday

Supervisors are set to vote on the proposal on Friday starting at 1 p.m. Check KESQ.com or watch News Channel 3 live on Friday for up-to-the-minute coverage of the vote.

Supervisor Manny Perez originally presented the proposal, however, on Monday, he said after looking at more data and speaking with locals, he now supports a mandatory face covering order in the county.

Watch: Supervisor Perez voices support for mandatory face cover order

New Swimming Pool Guidelines

The Riverside County Department of Environmental Health released new guidelines for community pools across the county.

Health officials emphasised these are guidelines and not requirements for community pool operators.

One of the standout guidelines was that members from the same household are allowed to swim together. Previously, the county issued a one-person per pool policy.

Public pools remain closed.

Full details: Department of Environmental Health releases new guidelines for community pools

Palm Springs set to vote to possibly amend local health orders

The Palm Springs City Council could vote on whether or not to keep or remove the city's emergency orders regarding recreational activities like golf, tennis, and pickleball and its own changes to the community swimming pool policy.

The city council voted two weeks ago to wait and see how the rest of the county is doing and get reports from local officials before making a decision.

The meeting is tonight at 6 p.m. Stay with News Channel 3 for complete coverage and up-to-the-minute updates.

Stay up to date with the latest breaking news by downloading the KESQ App on Apple Store or Google Play.

The City of Palm Springs has some of the strictest emergency orders in the Coachella Valley and the county.

Two weeks ago, the city issued a new "supplementary order" in which grocery stores and drug stores "must adhere to a policy of not serving anyone not wearing a face covering."

On April 25, Palm Springs announced that they were extending the moratorium on most short term lodging until May 31st, 2020. Short term lodging establishments include hotels, vacation rentals, timeshares, and homeshares. In addition, the order allows the operators of these establishments to rent to victims or witnesses to domestic violence as a COVID-19 related purpose.

Additionally, the city has strict fines for those in violation of orders, with the total ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 depending the severity of the violation and number of times a person has violated the order.

Details: Palm Springs implements stricter fines for violating emergency orders

If the county were to vote on revoking its orders, the Palm Springs orders would still remain in place as it won't affect local orders.

Riverside County orders still in effect

Until County Supervisors vote otherwise, the orders issued by Riverside County Public Health Officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser remain in effect through June 19.

Read: Riverside County extends face covering/social distancing orders to June

This includes the order requiring residents to wear face coverings when outside and keep practicing social distancing, the closure of Riverside County schools and limits to short-term lodging.

Riverside County currently allows various outdoor activities like golf, hiking, pickleball, and tennis as long the proper precautions are taken. Sports like golf have a couple of additional restrictions to maintain everyone's safety.

This includes:

• Play shall be limited to foursomes that will be required to observe social distancing (six feet separation between players at all times).
• No caddies.
• No large gatherings, including fundraisers or tournaments, will be permitted before June 20, 2020.
• Face coverings, such as scarves, bandanas and neck gaiters, shall be worn by players and workers.
• No in-person dining will be allowed at clubhouses.

Details: Coachella Valley golf courses officially back open

You can read more about what's open and what remains closed in the county's updated FAQ section

Rep Ruiz, local officials release coronavirus data from local hospitals

Last week, Congressman Raul Ruiz and officials from the valley's hospitals said that it would be too soon to start lifting some restrictions.

“We are still far off from our best case scenario. We can do better with more testing, contact tracing and quarantining," said Patricia Cummings, PhD, MPH, Epidemiologist, Eisenhower Health.

Watch: Local hospitals release critical data on Coronavirus numbers in Coachella Valley

Local Chamber of Commerce asks County to start reopen economy

Also last week, the Greater Coachella Valley Chamber of Commerce sent a letter to Supervisor Manny Perez asking him to consider starting to reopen the local economy.

"The need is urgent. We believe our economy will suffer severe, irreversible damage if the current shutdown stretches into the summer months," writes Joshua R. Bonner, IOM President and CEO of the Greater Coachella Valley Chamber of Commerce.

Full story: GCVCC asks Riverside County Supervisor to start reopening local economy

Supervisor Perez said on Monday that Riverside County is projected to be at a 32% job loss rate (the county was at 7.2% before the outbreak according to Perez) by mid-May and 30% of businesses have closed.