Coronavirus Cases Surpass 4,000 In Riverside County, 6 More Dead

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Confirmed coronavirus cases in Riverside County passed the 4,000 mark Thursday, with 89 new infections and six additional deaths announced by local health officials.

The case total now stands at 4,031 and the death toll at 149, according to the Riverside University Health System.

Of the 212 county residents who are hospitalized with COVID-19 — the disease caused by the virus — 78 are being treated in intensive care units, unchanged from Wednesday. The number of documented recoveries increased by 137 to 1,483.

See COVID-19 data based on city here.

County Public Health Officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser on Wednesday extended the county's emergency health order mandating social distancing practices and requiring face coverings for residents when outside their homes. Read more: Face Coverings Mandated Through June 19 In Riverside County

"For the immediate future, this is the new normal in Riverside County," Kaiser said.

Kaiser's previous health orders were due to expire Thursday, but he signed an amended directive with a few modifications, while keeping in place local mandates that are not required by the state, including the use of face coverings.

Health officials said the revised order is intended to align with Gov. Gavin Newsom's stay-at-home executive order from March 19, which remains in effect for an undetermined period.

Kaiser's revised directive also keeps the countywide shutdown mandate in place for all public and private schools, including colleges and universities, until June 19. Newsom has proposed beginning the 2020-21 school year early, perhaps late July or early August, but there is no word yet on when Riverside County schools will reopen.

However, late Thursday Board of Supervisors Chairman V. Manuel Perez announced that he and Vice Chair Karen Spiegel are bringing forth a proposal Tuesday to rescind county public health orders that mandate school shutdowns, face coverings and social distancing, golf course restrictions, and limits on short-term rentals. Read more: Riverside County Poised To Lift 4 Health Orders

There is mounting anxiety about the shutdown. Related: Temecula Grows Restless Amid The Coronavirus Shutdown

"We've been having conversations with local leadership and businesses, and we hear the frustration and struggles and financial hardship and the need for economic recovery," Board of Supervisors Chairman Manuel Perez said on Wednesday. "We know folks are ready to return to work."

Perez pointed to the criteria announced Tuesday by Newsom for a "four- phase" reduction in state regulations to unchain the private sector from coronavirus restrictions as a major step forward. Read more: Roadmap To Reopening The Economy Outlined: Riverside County

On Thursday, Rep. Raul Ruiz, whose 36th Congressional District includes Coachella Valley, hosted a livestream news briefing with doctors and health care experts from Eisenhower Medical Center, Desert Regional Medical Center and John F. Kennedy Memorial hospitals. Data presented during the event showed that over the last week, there has been a modest uptick in the combined number of COVID-19 hospitalizations and ICU admissions at the three hospitals.

All county residents are eligible for coronavirus testing if they make appointments over the phone in advance at 800-945-6171. So far, 50,305 people have been tested in Riverside County.

The county is seeking to expand testing facilities, with new sites potentially opening in the San Gorgonio Pass and the San Jacinto Valley, joining sites already in operation in Indio, Lake Elsinore, Perris and Riverside.

—City News Service contributed to this report.