Coronavirus Closures Indefinite In Riverside County, Cases Climb

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Despite Gov. Gavin Newsom's announcement Tuesday that he sees "light at the end of the tunnel" amid the coronavirus pandemic, Riverside County Public Health Officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser warned that local residents should not expect a lot of change in coming weeks.

"We are not there yet," Kaiser said of any possible softening of restrictions. Instead, the county is weeks away, if not longer, and any slackening will be gradual, he said.

"There is a modest slowing [in cases] because of social distancing," Kaiser said. "We have been underwater for a long time. It's bad. But it will be worse if we come up too soon and then have to go back under."

Kaiser delivered the message during a news conference Tuesday as the county saw its largest single-day surge in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases since the pandemic began, with 210 new cases bringing the total to 1,961. The death toll remained unchanged at 50.

Newsom said that, according to public health models, California residents have successfully "bent the curve" of the virus and, for now, averted a disastrous spike in COVID-19 cases that threatened to overwhelm the state's health care system. In Riverside County, acute care hospitals are not at capacity, county Emergency Management Director Bruce Barton confirmed during Tuesday's news conference.

But Kaiser expressed only cautious optimistic, warning the county is still highly vulnerable considering that the number of local COVID-19 cases continues to double every four to five days. The modeling still suggests the county could exceed 65,000 COVID-19 cases by early May.

Riverside County health officials have started releasing more data on local coronavirus fatalities. Gender, ethnicity, age range, and whether there were underlying health factors associated with a death are now being released, although as of Tuesday afternoon the data were not completely updated.

Of the 50 deaths countywide, 41 were men — and more than half the fatalities occurred in COVID-19 patients between the ages of 65 and 84, the data show. Ethnicity and underlying health conditions still lacked full updates as of Tuesday afternoon.

There are now 376 recovered coronavirus patients in Riverside County, according to the updated figures. Recovered patients are defined as those who have completed their period of isolation and are no longer symptomatic, according to county spokeswoman Brooke Federico.

Between county testing sites and private testing through doctors and hospitals, approximately 29,000 Riverside County residents have been tested for COVID-19, Kaiser said Tuesday. While testing rollout shows great improvement, more testing is required until an approved vaccine is released, which is "months and months away," Kaiser said.

Patients at licensed care facilities continue to be a top concern. As of Tuesday, 84 patients and 67 workers across the county's nearly 400 licensed care facilities have tested positive for COVID-19, according to health officials. At least one care facility worker death — a woman in her 20s — has been reported. READ MORE: Teams Deploy To 'Educate, Equip' Workers At Care Centers: RivCo

Separately, it was announced Tuesday that airports in Riverside County will receive more than $11.1 million in government aid to help respond to plunging demand created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The airport receiving the most funding in the region is Palm Springs International with $11 million; Jacqueline Cochran Regional will receive $69,000; and Hemet-Ryan and Corona Municipal will each receive $30,000, according to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.

The funding is part of the Trump administration's newly created Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act Airport Grant Program. U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao said the FAA will award $10 billion to the nation's airports, with about $1 billion going to 188 airports in California.

The funding will support continuing operations and replace lost revenue resulting from the sharp decline in passenger traffic and other airport business due to the COVID-19 public health emergency. The funds are available for airport capital expenditures, airport operating expenses including payroll and utilities, and airport debt payments.

—City News Service contributed to this report.

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