Coronavirus Public Update Scheduled At Palm Springs City Hall

COACHELLA VALLEY, CA — The county's top public health official will make a rare trip to the Coachella Valley Thursday in an effort to quell public fears about the spread of the novel coronavirus that has killed more than 3,100 people.

Dr. Cameron Kaiser, Riverside County's public health officer, will join Palm Springs Major Geoff Kors and county Supervisor V. Manuel Perez for a news conference on the steps of Palm Springs City Hall beginning at 10 a.m.

Also expected to attend will be public safety, business, school district and tourism representatives.

The news conference is aimed at updating residents on the "proactive measures being taken to prevent coronavirus in order to stay healthy during the busy Coachella Valley tourist season," according to statement from the city.

The news conference follows a Tuesday briefing from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in which the agency advised that local communities may start taking action.

"As more areas see community spread, local communities may start employing tools that encourage social distancing," Dr. Nancy Messonnier, the director of CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. "The goal of social distancing is to limit exposure by reducing face-to-face contact and preventing spread among people in community settings."

Although the virus has been confirmed in several patients across the southland, the disease has not been detected in Riverside County.

As of Wednesday morning, the virus, known as COVID-19, had killed nine people in the United States, all in Washington state, and more than 3,100 people globally.