Riverside County Mourns Coronavirus Deaths, Celebrates Reopenings

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Riverside County got some good news Friday from the state regarding approval for additional business sectors to reopen amid the coronavirus pandemic, but local health officials reminded residents to take safety precautions as a grim mark was reached.

Riverside County saw 10 additional coronavirus deaths Friday, bringing the total to 1,007. The county hit its one-thousandth COVID-19 death with the passing of an Indio resident in his late 70s, according to Riverside University Health System - Public Health.

Since reporting began in March, the youngest person to die from the virus was a 19-year-old Riverside woman. The oldest deaths were two 104-year-old residents — a Riverside man and a Mecca woman.

“It is so important to remember that these numbers are people, Riverside County residents who have families; they are our neighbors, friends, brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers,” said Kim Saruwatari, director of the Riverside County Public Health Department. “In many cases, the tragedy of their deaths was compounded by the circumstances brought on by the virus itself.”

Those who were hospitalized prior to their deaths often could not have visitors because of the restrictions imposed by medical facilities to prevent the spread of coronavirus — doctors and nurses were often the only companions COVID-19 patients had before death, health officials said.

“Every death due to COVID-19 is a tragedy,” said Dr. Cameron Kaiser, Riverside County public health officer. “One way we can honor their memory is to do what we can to prevent COVID-19, so that other families won’t suffer the same loss these families have. Even though most people with COVID-19 will survive, these people are indisputably casualties. We have to take this virus seriously.”

Taking simple actions like wearing a face covering, keeping distance from others and washing hands frequently will slow virus spread and provide up to 95 percent protection, according to health officials.

RUHS reported 126 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases Friday, bringing the total to 51,860. Of those cases, 41,213 have recovered from illness.

While deaths reached the sad milestone, Riverside County health officials point out that data related to coronavirus spread has improved over the last few weeks. The number of those hospitalized with COVID-19 has dropped. On Friday, 223 people remained hospitalized for COVID-19 in the county, with 82 of those patients in ICU. Hospitalizations were down by three patients since Thursday, ICU admissions were up by one.

The COVID-19 positivity rate in Riverside County is 9 percent and the case rate, which was at more than 200 daily cases per 100,000 residents, is now under 150.

Under a revised COVID-19 framework released Friday by Gov. Gavin Newsom, Riverside County must continue reducing its positivity rate in order to reopen more business sectors. Indoor hair salons and barbershops, however, can reopen countywide starting Monday, with specific industry guidelines. Malls, swap meets and "destination centers" may also reopen Monday at roughly 25 percent capacity, according to the new framework.

To reopen other business sectors, the county's positivity rate must drop below 8 percent and the case rate should not increase, according to the framework. The "four-tiered system" requires counties to meet thresholds for positivity and case rates over a course of at least 21 days before progressing to the next tier level. Once a county advances to the next tier, more business sectors can reopen. Read more about the color-coded, four-tier system here.

Riverside County, along with most of the rest of the state, is currently in the purple tier:

Once the county progresses to the red tier, it can reopen malls, swap meets and "destination centers" to 50 percent capacity. It can also reopen all additional indoor personal care services; indoor places of worship to 25 percent capacity; indoor movie theaters to 25 percent capacity; indoor gyms and fitness centers to 10 percent capacity; and indoor dining to 25 percent capacity. See the full list here, including the businesses that can reopen under the orange and yellow tiers.

Riverside County’s numbers are trending in the right direction, RUHS officials said.

“Some of our businesses can now return to indoor operations, with safeguards in place," said Vice Chair Karen Spiegel, Second District Supervisor. "Businesses must continue to invest in protecting their employees and customers, as these measures help slow the spread and support economic recovery.”

The state’s new website www.COVID19.ca.gov is tracking the metrics, with an interactive map and list of business sectors open by each county.

The Riverside County school waiver process that's underway is not impacted by the governor’s new framework. Schools can reopen on a widespread basis (without a waiver) once a county is in the red tier for at least two weeks. Read the latest update on the local school waiver program here and see which campuses can reopen.