Gov. Gavin Newsom put the Southern California region on a Stay-at-Home order. It went into effect Sunday at 11:59 p.m. and will be in place for at least three weeks. The order, which includes Riverside County, was triggered because Intensive Care Unit (ICU) capacity dropped below 15% in the region.
“We have seen cases and other metrics rising for the past month and it is expected to get even worse this month,” said Kim Saruwatari, director of the Riverside County Department of Public Health. “We must practice social distancing and wear masks to preserve valuable space and staff in our hospital system. These resources are already stretched thin.”
The county announced Saturday that “Critical county services and programs will continue on behalf of our residents. In line with the regional stay-at-home order, many of those services could return to being provided virtually. This practice has been critical to how the county has conducted business throughout the pandemic. Residents should call ahead to determine if their needs can be met online, over the phone or through the mail. Some services requiring in-person visits may need an appointment.”
Congress still has not passed another stimulus package to assist small businesses and those who have suffered permanent job loss as we move into winter, and now, another Stay-at-Home order.
All the following were ordered to close: indoor and outdoor playgrounds; indoor recreational facilities; hair salons and barbershops; personal care services; museums, zoos, and aquariums; movie theaters; wineries; bars, breweries and distilleries; family entertainment centers; cardrooms and satellite wagering; limited services; live audience sports and amusement parks. The following sectors can operate with additional modifications, 100% mask wearing and social distancing: outdoor recreational facilities, retail, shopping centers, hotels/lodging, restaurants (take-out only), offices, places of worship and entertainment production including professional sports.
Visit https://covid19.ca.gov/stay-home-except-for-essential-needs/, for more information on the order.
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said that his department would not be enforcing the order.
The state had already added 1,872 beds at alternate care sites outside of the hospital system in anticipation of a surge in cases.
According to the Riverside University Health System – Public Health (RUHS) website, the area of Idyllwild-Pine Cove has a total of 33 reported COVID-19 cases since the outbreak and one death reported. Twenty-five of the 33 people have recovered.
As of press time on Dec. 8, Riverside County has 92,272 confirmed COVID-19 cases. There are 1,488 deaths related to COVID-19 and 68,939 people have recovered. There are 700 individuals being hospitalized and of those 146 are in the ICU. The county’s positivity rate is 7.7%. The current adjusted case rate per 100,000 is 21.2.
As of press time on Dec. 1, Riverside County had 84,412 confirmed COVID-19 cases. There were 1,442 deaths related to COVID-19 and 67,305 people had recovered. There were 585 individuals being hospitalized and of those 129 were in the ICU. The county’s positivity rate was 9.9%. The current adjusted case rate per 100,000 was 27.2.
As of press time on Nov. 23, Riverside County had 78,442 confirmed COVID-19 cases. There were 1,400 deaths related to COVID-19 and 65,613 people had recovered. There were 375 individuals being hospitalized and of those 99 were in the ICU. The county’s positivity rate was 8.9%. The current adjusted case rate per 100,000 was 22.4.
As of press time on Nov. 17, Riverside County had 75,848 confirmed COVID-19 cases. There were 1,374 deaths related to COVID-19 and 64,922 people had recovered. There were 310 individuals being hospitalized and of those 78 were in the ICU. The county’s positivity rate was 6.7%. The current adjusted case rate per 100,000 was 13.9.
To date, 1,212,700 people have been tested for COVID-19 in Riverside County, according to RUHS. 
