Officials in Riverside County are awaiting Gov. Gavin Newsom’s green light to start reopening the region’s economy, announcing in a news conference Monday that local COVID-19 cases have stabilized while residents continue to suffer financially.
Local hospitals also have the capacity to treat any surge in patients, with more than 3,500 free beds for emergency overcapacity, county Supervisor Karen Spiegel said.
COVID-19 patients only account for 15.3% of hospitalizations and 32.6% of intensive care units, which overall are being used well within the county’s normal rate, Spiegel said.
Riverside County has so far reported 161 deaths, none of them from the day before, Spiegel added. Meanwhile, nearly 2,000 people have recovered from the virus.
“We have the highest per capita testing being done,” Spiegal touted. “We have almost 55,000 tests done in Riverside County. That is a significant number, because we now do the asymptomatic.”
Officials said locals have proven they can protect themselves from becoming ill by following social distancing rules and using facial coverings, and that the region is ready to move forward without risking people’s health in three sectors: retail and manufacturing, recreation and religion.
“With over 190,000 unemployment claims in our county, we must turn our attention to the war on our economy,” Riverside Mayor Rusty Bailey said.
The region can serve as a model for California on reopening responsibly, according to county authorities, who emphasized the financial hardships of residents due to the state-mandated closures.
Modoc, Yuba and Sutter counties in Northern California have already defied the governor’s orders and reopened.
“Please look at Riverside County as your first case, allow us to go to Phase 2 and get our economy going,” county Supervisor Kevin Jeffries said in a plea addressed to Newsom.
The second step in the governor’s four-stage roadmap involves the opening of low-risk workplaces with adjustments for social distancing. That includes curbside pickup orders for retail stores and the manufacturing of products deemed nonessential.
An hour after Riverside County’s news conference on Monday, Newsom announced that the state is ready to move to Phase 2 by the end of the week.
The next step in Newsom’s guideline does not include large gatherings. But Riverside’s mayor hopes the governor will allow local nuances in terms of reopening, making note of the county’s significant faith-based community.
Churches don’t expect congregants to rush to service, but they want to make their space available to those who want to come, said John Collins of the Riverside megachurch Harvest Christian Fellowship.
Officials said they plan to proceed by focusing efforts on nursing homes and other congregant facilities that have been hit hard by the outbreak.
Just over 50% of COVID-19 cases in Riverside County are residents and staffers at nursing homes. Efforts should be focused in those facilities, according to Riverside’s mayor.
“I’m not asking anybody, not telling anybody to reopen. That’s not what I’m saying here,” Bailey said. “We’re prepared. We’re ready. We’re on our toes.”
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