Coronavirus Updates For Riverside County: News, Numbers

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Riverside County health officials Friday reported another seven fatalities and 48 confirmed coronavirus infections, bringing the death toll to 156 and the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases to 4,079.

Of the 214 county residents who are hospitalized with COVID-19 — the disease caused by the virus — 85 are being treated in intensive care units, six more than Thursday, but down from nearly 230 last week.

According to the Riverside University Health System, the number of documented recoveries now totals 1,693, up by 210.

Riverside County has the second-highest number of confirmed cases and deaths in the state, behind only Los Angeles County.

On Wednesday, Public Health Officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser extended the county's emergency health order mandating social distancing practices and requiring face coverings for residents when outside their homes, saying "for the immediate future, this is the new normal in Riverside County."

The following day, Riverside County Board of Supervisors Chairman V. Manuel Perez said he plans to ask the full board on Tuesday to terminate specific public health orders in an effort to transition to economic and social recovery and streamline layers of public health requirements on coronavirus.

Perez said he and Supervisor Karen Spiegel will jointly present a motion Tuesday to nullify the four active health orders, signaling a potential end to some restrictions. The orders under scrutiny include wearing face coverings outside the home at all times or face misdemeanor charges and fines, barring short-term rentals except in the case of providing emergency shelter for vulnerable persons, placing limits on golfing, keeping schools closed and mandating social distancing. Read more: Riverside County Poised To Lift 4 Public Health Orders

If a majority of the board votes to rescind the orders, the county will still be under Gov. Gavin Newsom's stay-home order, that calls for staying home with exceptions for so-called "essential" businesses and meeting everyday needs for personal well-being.

"We prepared for the expected hospital surge with two Federal Medical Stations that we have not had to use. Our hospital bed and ICU bed use have remained relatively consistent," Perez said. "These data explain why our original modeling has changed."

During a news briefing at the County Administrative Center on Wednesday, Kaiser asserted the ongoing need to wear face coverings, though the articles are not mandated by the California Department of Public Health, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends their voluntary utilization only in confined settings. Related: Face Coverings, Social Distancing: What To Know In RivCo

Perez said on Wednesday that the county was gradually moving toward the initial phases of a four-phase recovery plan outlined Tuesday by Newsom. Read more: Roadmap To Reopening The Economy Outlined: Riverside County

"We know the workforce is ready, and we know businesses are ready," Perez said. "We need to do it in phases."

Friday the county formally announced the launch of an economic task force. The 17-member group is to provide recommendations to the board of supervisors on restarting the local economy and preparing to rebound from the coronavirus pandemic. Read more: Riverside County's Economic Recovery Task Force: Meet The Members

Next week, the county board of supervisors will consider criteria the county might adopt to relieve renters from immediately meeting obligations to landlords when the COVID-19 emergency comes to an end. Read more: Eviction Moratorium Pondered In Riverside County

Also this week, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department reported two inmate deaths due to apparent COVID-19 complications. Read more: Second Inmate Death Reported In Riverside County: Coronavirus

So far, 51,228 people have been tested for the coronavirus in Riverside County.

The county is seeking to expand screening 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.