4 Coachella Valley Cities Mandate Face Coverings, Distancing

COACHELLA VALLEY, CA — In addition to Palm Springs and Desert Hot Springs, two other cities recently became the latest in the Coachella Valley to require social distancing and face coverings in order to stem the spread of the coronavirus, despite the recent rescission of health orders requiring such behavior at the county level.

Officials in Cathedral City and Coachella made the announcements Wednesday, days after county health orders mandating face covering, social distancing and other requirements were nixed over the weekend following a vote last week by the Riverside County Board of Supervisors. Up until then, Riverside County's health orders had been among the most stringent in the state.

"Unfortunately, Coachella and the rest of the eastern valley remains a hotspot for coronavirus cases," Coachella Mayor Steven Hernandez said in a statement. "Until we can get this virus under control, our city will continue to require these reasonable measures to protect the health and safety of people living and working in Coachella."

Desert Hot Springs and Palm Springs previously required residents to cover their faces.

The new rules in Cathedral City and Coachella are similar — faces must be covered while residents are in most public places near other people. Face coverings are not required in either of the cities for people hiking, bicycling or running, or engaging in other outdoor activities, as long as they remain six feet apart from others while doing so.

Both orders exempt children under 2 years old, and those who have a note from a "medical professional" advising them to not wear a mask. Coverings include masks, bandannas, scarves, neck gaiters or other clothing that does not have visible holes.

The Coachella order will remain in effect until it is rescinded by the City Council, and in Cathedral City, the order is set to sunset on June 19.

With 170 cases as of Wednesday afternoon, Coachella boasts the second- highest coronavirus case total in the Coachella Valley behind only Indio, which has two more cases, at 172. Coachella's population numbers, however, are about half that of Indio.

County supervisors voted last week to ask the county Public Health Officer, Dr. Cameron Kaiser, to rescind his orders mandating face coverings and social distancing while in public, along with restricting short-term rentals and regulating golf courses.

Kaiser followed suit over the weekend. He also removed vocational schools, colleges and universities from his order, which had closed schools until June 19, while leaving in other schools including elementary, middle and high schools.