Riverside County Coronavirus Update: The Latest Numbers

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Riverside County health officials Thursday reported 3,729 additional coronavirus cases and a dozen virus-related deaths, along with a record number of patients being treated in county hospitals due to COVID-19 complications.

The total number of coronavirus infections recorded since the public health documentation period began in early March is 111,053, compared to 107,324 on Wednesday. The number of deaths tied to COVID-19 rose to 1,551, according to Riverside University Health System.

The RUHS reported a record 775 COVID-positive hospitalizations Thursday, up seven from Wednesday. This includes 171 patients being treated in intensive care units, down one compared to the day before.

While Emergency Management Department Director Bruce Barton told the Riverside County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday that hospital bed occupancy throughout Riverside County was at 70 percent, with about a quarter of those patients COVID-19 infected, the biggest challenge is staffing. The county is trying to fill "resource requests," finding health-care workers able to step in where personnel shortages occur. Read more here about the staffing shortages.

As a result of the state's stay-at-home order that went into effect at 11:59 p.m. Sunday, several business sectors are now closed across all of Southern California, including the counties of Riverside, Orange, Los Angeles, San Diego, Imperial, Inyo, Mono, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura.

The order is in place for at least three weeks and bars gatherings of people from different households.

Under the order, the following businesses/recreational facilities are forced to close under the order:

-- indoor playgrounds;
-- indoor recreational facilities;
-- hair salons and barbershops;
-- personal care services;
-- museums, zoos, and aquariums;
-- movie theaters;
-- wineries;
-- bars, breweries and distilleries;
-- family entertainment centers;
-- cardrooms and satellite wagering;
-- limited services;
-- live audience sports;
-- amusement parks.

Schools with waivers are allowed to remain open, along with "critical infrastructure" and retail stores, which is now limited to 20 percent of capacity. Restaurants are restricted to takeout and delivery service only. Hotels can open "for critical infrastructure support only," while churches are restricted to outdoor only services. Entertainment production — including professional sports — can continue without live audiences.

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