Rancho Mirage councilmember tests positive for Covid, city hall closed

The city of Rancho Mirage is warning people who may have attended last week's city council meeting to consider getting tested for Covid-1 after a councilmember tested positive.

Officials did not say which council member caught the virus. Video of the Thursday, Nov. 18 meeting shows only one city leader, councilmember Richard Kite, wearing a mask. There were not many residents inside the council chambers.

City hall was closed for deep cleaning out of an abundance of caution, city officials said. It was expected to reopen Wednesday.

Last month, the city of La Quinta had to warn some residents about potential Covid-19 exposures at city hall after city manager Jon McMillen came down with a breakthrough case. The meeting was packed with mostly unmasked people.

McMillen said his symptoms were mild but the diagnosis was still a wake-up call, despite taking diligent precautions.

"It's still out there," he said. "Even though we’re getting that sense and that feeling that it's behind us, it's definitely not behind us."

Palm Springs City Council is the last in the valley to return to in-person meetings.

Palm Springs Mayor Pro Tem Lisa Middleton said wearing a mask through lengthy discussions would be difficult but not impossible.

"The public's work should always be done in public whenever possible," Middleton said.

Last week, most of the council was inside council chambers to swear in new police chief Andrew Mills.

Palm Springs council is set to discuss returning to in-person meetings and other Covid restrictions on Dec. 9. "One thing I know about Palm Springs: we are going to err, if we err, on the side of safety," Middleton said.