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 Friday, Riverside County officials have confirmed:

• 28,695 people have officially tested positive for COVID-19.  518 people have been reported positive in the past 24 hours.
• 587 people are confirmed to have died in the county from the coronavirus. This number includes 2 people reported dead in the last 24 hours.   

Here’s the latest from the Coachella Valley:

July 17 — #COVID19 in the #CoachellaValley (+ from day before):

8,093 confirmed cases (+146)
175 deaths (+1)

907 new cases reported per week, 21% slower than 14 days ago.

First time we've seen a week-on-week decline since May 8. I do have some caveats. See thread below. (1/5) pic.twitter.com/3huIOwNKNU

— Kevin Duncliffe (@kevinduncliffe) July 17, 2020

Here I usually report the test counts as reported by Riverside County. But the state also reports the number of tests in each county over the last 14 days. Lately, the test numbers reported by the county and by the state have started to diverge. (3/5) pic.twitter.com/wftMxHGfdQ

— Kevin Duncliffe (@kevinduncliffe) July 17, 2020

Plus, with the virus being what it is, we know that a turn for the worse could happen at any time. The county will not update the case numbers until Monday. Hospitalizations have been down the last few days, and I should be able to continue to update that over the weekend. (5/5)

— Kevin Duncliffe (@kevinduncliffe) July 17, 2020

CORRECTION: 42 of the patients are in ICU, -3 from Wednesday (3 fewer in ICU, not 3 more).

— Kevin Duncliffe (@kevinduncliffe) July 17, 2020

As of 3 pm Wednesday, San Bernardino County has confirmed (there has not been an update in 2 days):

• 21,468 people have officially tested positive for COVID-19.
• 310 people are confirmed to have died in the county from the coronavirus.

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

• • • 366,427 people have official tested positive for COVID-19.
    • 7,511 people are confirmed to have died in the state of CA from the coronavirus.

According to The Johns Hopkins University, almost a thousand Americans now have been dying every day from coronavirus:
Thursday July 16 – 943
Wednesday July 15 – 941
Tuesday July 14 – 900
Remember — these are mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters.

— Wolf Blitzer (@wolfblitzer) July 17, 2020

Last month of US coronavirus outbreak:

Average daily tests increase: 52%

Average daily cases increase: 184%

— Ryan Struyk (@ryanstruyk) July 17, 2020

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Friday that only schools in counties off the state’s coronavirus watchlist for two weeks straight will be allowed to reopen for in-person instruction. Riverside, San Bernardino and Imperial counties are all currently on the watchlist.

1) Safe in-person school based on local health data.

Schools located in counties that are on CA’s Monitoring List must NOT physically open for in-person instruction until their county has come off the Monitoring List for 14 consecutive days.

— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 17, 2020

The district should revert to distance learning when 25%+ of its schools have been closed due to #COVID19 within 14 days.

Closure decisions should be made with local health officers. After 14 days districts may return to in-person with approval of local public health officer.

— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 17, 2020

3) Physical distancing requirements & adaptations:

Adults must stay 6 feet from one another & 6 feet from children.

Students should maintain 6 feet of distance when possible.

Anyone entering the school must do a health screen. If a member of your household is sick–stay home.

— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 17, 2020

5) Rigorous distance learning.

School districts must provide:
-Devices so that every child can participate in distance learning.
-Daily live interaction.
-Challenging and equivalent to in-person instruction.
-Targeted supports for English learners and special education.

— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 17, 2020

Washington DC will see a House Education and Labor Committee hearing on reopening schools next week.  The White House is not allowing anyone from the CDC to testify, including Director Dr. Robert Redfield. “Dr. Redfield has testified on the Hill at least four times over the last three months. We need our doctors focused on the pandemic response,” a White House official said.

Meanwhile:

On the same week that new coronavirus cases in Georgia hit record highs, Trump told an ABC affiliate in Atlanta that "Georgia has been a great example of a state that has done it all right … they've done really well with the virus." pic.twitter.com/AasNJ2uhAx

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 17, 2020

The Magnolia Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Riverside, which three months ago had to evacuate 80 patients when most of the staff failed to show up, has reopened its doors. The county says that the center worked on its reopening plan with officials for several months. This included additional employee training and personal protective equipment.

The Magnolia Rehabilitation and Nursing Center was in the national spotlight when patients were evacuated by first responders from the county, City of Riverside and local ambulance providers. https://t.co/dGwbhdVmS2 #RivCoNOW RUHealth pic.twitter.com/TOyD8AVAMr

— Dr. Cameron Kaiser (@RivCoDoc) July 17, 2020

You may have seen a new TV commercial called “Mayors Mask Up” featuring all but one of the Coachella Valley’s mayors wearing masks.  The city of Palm Desert’s mayor is not featured, with the spot instead showing Councilmember Jan Harnik:

So there's a new pro-mask TV spot from the tourism bureau (??) featuring all of the desert mayors…except one pic.twitter.com/0iAOczzBBC

— Casey Dolan (@thecaseydolan) July 17, 2020

Stores like Walmart, Ralphs, and Food 4 Less are posting signs at cash registers at stores around the country asking for people to use cards instead of paying by cash.  Why?  The pandemic has caused a temporary coin shortage, as less have been used over the past few months.

While retail stores, airlines, and other industries promote “deep cleaning” practices during the pandemic, the reality is very different. They New York Times reports on the realities of janitors being asked to keep things virus-free, and how many companies are not issuing the supplies or time to do so.

Finally…

Karens Gone Wild: COVID-19 Edition! pic.twitter.com/99jxgeHYj5

— Fifty Shades of Whey (@davenewworld_2) July 16, 2020

Thank you for your continued support of Cactus Hugs.  Updates will resume on Monday.  Enjoy your weekend and stay 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.