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As Palm Springs issued a shelter-in-place order for city residents and called for all non-essential businesses to close, Riverside County's top public health officer on Tuesday announced the first two cases of coronavirus on the west side of the county. Both are expected to recover, Dr. Cameron Kaiser said in a news release.

Riverside County now has a total of 16 cases. Before Tuesday, nearly of all the reported cases were in the Coachella Valley.

“We knew getting west county cases was an inevitability,” Kaiser said in a statement. “The disease curve must be flattened, and that’s why we’re already intervening as early as possible so that our vulnerable residents are protected.”

County officials also confirmed a third death related to COVID-19. All three people — two men and one woman — were Coachella Valley residents in their 70s and two had underlying health conditions, according to county spokesperson Brooke Federico. One of the three had recently resided at a skilled nursing facility in Rancho Mirage, she said.

At least one other confirmed county case is from a gated community in Palm Desert for people over age 55, according to a news release issued by the Sun City Palm Desert Community Association.

The community association announced it is closing its dance pavilion, all fitness centers, and closing its clubhouses to all indoor social and recreational activities to protect residents from the virus. All outdoor pools and pro shops will remain open and outdoor sports will be allowed.

Palm Springs issues shelter-in-place order

The Palm Springs City Council in a special meeting on Tuesday directed City Manager David Ready to issue a new emergency order advising all residents to shelter in place and limit activities to only those essential to their daily lives. The order also requires the closure of all nonessential businesses.

The emergency order will be effective Wednesday at 7 a.m. and remain in effect until April 2. The council will review the situation at an April 2 meeting and extend the order as necessary. The order excludes a list of 21 essential businesses, which was to be outlined in the emergency order and posted on the city’s website later Tuesday, the city said in a news release.

The order is modeled after the actions taken by the City of San Francisco. On Monday, six Bay Area counties issued a similar lock-down, requiring roughly 6.7 million people to stay in their homes through April 7.

According to the order issued Monday by the city and county of San Francisco, "essential businesses" include health care operations; grocery stores, certified farmers' markets and food banks; businesses that provide food, shelter and social services for lower-income people; newspapers, television, radio and other media services; gas stations and auto supply and repair shops; banks; hardware stores, among other services.

Restaurants will no longer be able to serve dine-in customers, although takeout and delivery can continue.

"Given the rapid spread of COVID-19, and the long incubation period, the action of the City Council closing all non-essential businesses and having people stay in place will help prevent more infections, illnesses and deaths," Palm Springs Mayor Geoff Kors said in a statement. "The faster we all take proactive measures, the faster we will get through this, saving lives and helping residents, workers and businesses get through this with the least amount of harm."

The police department will not be arresting business owners for staying open at this time, Kors said during the meeting, instead allowing several days for the police to educate the community.

Mayor Pro Tem Christy Holstege also asked staff to look into what funds and other economic decisions such as tax relief the city can open up to offer relief to local businesses and residents. The council will ask the Coachella Valley Association of Governments if it would organize nearby cities to take similar measures.

Shortly after the city’s emergency declaration was released Tuesday afternoon, downtown was quiet with a few people still wander about. Public radio news about the coronavirus blared from elderly man’s SUV.

Outside Sammy G’s Tuscan Grill, a deflated leprechaun figure was laying on the ground, emblematic of the day’s subdued St. Patrick's Day celebrations.

Agua Caliente tribe declares state of emergency; other casinos close

The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians has declared a reservation-wide state of emergency in response to the coronavirus pandemic sweeping the state and globe, consistent with similar declarations by the state and the federal government.

All tribal enterprises including its casino resorts, golf courses and hiking areas are closing through March 31, the tribe said in a press release issued Tuesday. The Agua Caliente Casinos in Rancho Mirage and Palm Springs were expected to close at 6 p.m. Tuesday, while the Indian Canyons Gold Resort in Palm Springs, Tahquitz Canyon and the Indian Canyons will close effective Wednesday.

The tribe made the decision during the regularly scheduled tribal council meeting on Tuesday.

“Pursuant to Tribal law, we declared a State of Emergency today for the Reservation to protect the health and welfare of Tribal Members, Tribal employees and the broader non-tribal Reservation community,” Tribal Chairman Jeff Grubbe said in a statement. “We stand ready to assist federal, tribal, local and state agencies with emergency preparedness and disaster response related to the COVID 19 global pandemic.”

Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, operated by the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians, announced it would close through March 31 to prevent the spread of the virus.

The Morongo Band of Mission Indians also is closing its Morongo Casino Resort & Spa from Tuesday at noon through the end of the month.

School closures extended

Kaiser also announced on Tuesday that school closures in Riverside County would be extended through April 30.

Hours after Kaiser's announcement, Newsom said it was unlikely most schools statewide would reopen before summer break. California, he said at a press conference, will request a formal waiver from the federal government to exempt students from nationwide testing — for advanced placement courses and other standardized tests.

"Planning with kids is some of the most challenging planning," he said, directing his comments toward the families of the 6.1 million California students out of school. "It's unlikely that many of these schools — few, if any — will open before summer break."

On Monday he had announced a prohibition on all gatherings of more than 10 people through April 30. He provided more details to the supervisors on Tuesday morning, explaining that under the order, houses of worship should move online, and adding that it has become a "virtual necessity" for restaurants to operate as take-out only operations.

Kaiser said he is working with county counsel to determine how to enforce the order.

While Bay Area counties have issued a shelter-in-place requirement to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, county officials consider Kaiser's 10-person regulation to be "more enforceable than a shelter in place order," county spokesperson Brooke Federico said in an email to The Desert Sun on Monday night.

"Restricting places where people gather and potentially spread the virus is the best way to stay ahead of this curve," she said. With Kaiser's order, "there is now a wide control of occupancy among different businesses and public places. It makes minimizing travel and reducing unnecessary trips and outings mandatory."

Diocese of San Bernardino suspends mass

To prevent the further spread of the coronavirus, Bishop Gerald Barnes of the Diocese of San Bernardino has suspended all public masses until further notice, according to diocese spokesman John Andrews. The diocese will be live-streaming mass weekly, including one service in English and another in Spanish, he said.

Priests also may choose to live-stream privately celebrated masses, he said.

"This is an extraordinary situation," Andrews said Tuesday.

Barnes wrestled with the decision to suspend masses because, "the last thing he wants to do is not make available the sacrament of the Eucharist," Andrews said. "There's a lot of pain in that, but we understand that we are in a public health crisis."

Andrews said the Diocese is taking additional steps to limit gatherings of people, including:

All Catholic funerals will be suspended. Graveside burial services are allowed, as long as there are less than 10 people present.

All Catholic weddings should be postponed if at all possible. Weddings that can't be postponed must be attended by no more than 10 people.

Baptisms and confession will only be allowed if a person is near death.

More closures, cancellations

With life in the Southern California desert griding to a halt, the 530-room Hyatt Indian Wells Resort & Spa announced Tuesday it is temporarily suspending operations until May 17. Any reservations made through April 30 can be changed or canceled at no charge up to 24 hours before scheduled arrival, according to the hotel's website.

The Parker Palm Springs hotel said Monday it would close for at least two weeks as of noon Wednesday, becoming the first local hotel to announce such a suspension in operations.

Officials with The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens on Tuesday announced the Palm Desert attraction would shut down through April 1 after trying to remain open for as long as possible.

“However, in the interest of public health, the health of our team and the new guidelines from multiple levels of government, we have made the difficult decision to temporarily close our public operations,” zoo management said in a statement.

A team of experts will remain onside to take care of all animals, which are all “healthy and doing well,” officials said.

Behind-the-scenes footage, conservation stories and animal profiles will continue to be available via social media during the closure.

Sunday polo events at El Dorado Polo Club and Empire Polo Club, both in Indio, have been suspended for the rest of the 2020 season. The Friday night polo events at Empire also are canceled. Both clubs say the events will resume for the 2021 season in January.

Joshua Tree National Park remains open, but the park has temporarily closed all of its visitor centers, superintendent David Smith said in an email to The Desert Sun. Park rangers are available outside of visitor centers to answer questions, but they will maintain a six-foot distance to prevent virus transmission, he said.

The park has also cancelled interpretive programs that bring together groups of people, including Climbers’ Coffee, Artists’ Tea and evening campfire programs.

County offices will be closed to the public beginning Wednesday. Some facilities will remain open, including the Riverside University Health System-Medical Center, clinics, district attorney locations, probation offices, animal shelters and parks.

Palm Desert declares emergency

Palm Desert has declared a local emergency, closing City Hall and other municipal facilities through at least April 3, when a public health risk reevaluation will be conducted.

Police and fire protection, as well as other public safety related municipal services, including building inspections will continue without interruption, the city announced in a press release.

Responses to other city services could be delayed while City Hall is closed. Those who need to conduct business with the city are encouraged to use the online resources including Palm Desert’s e-gov website www.cityofpalmdesert.org.

The declaration was made by City Manager Lauri Aylaian and went into effect at noon Tuesday.

“Palm Desert cares deeply about the health and well-being of its residents, business community, visitors and staff,” the press release said. The city has been working closely with Riverside County, the agency responsible for providing public health services in Palm Desert, on how to respond to the pandemic and the challenges it poses.

“We will continue to quickly implement all directives from Riverside County Public Health, which has the expertise and authority to order closures that impact private businesses within the county,” officials said.

Desert Hot Springs could potentially follow suit. The council will hold an emergency meeting at 11 a.m. Wednesday to discuss in closed session the threat to public services and facilities.

Cathedral City suspends special events

Following the county's Monday order prohibiting gatherings of more than 10 people, Cathedral City is suspending all special events through the end of April, or until approved by the county health officer, the city said in a news release.

The city is suspending Movies in the Park and Easter Kidapalooza, the city said. It already cancelled this year's Cathedral City LGBT Days and postponed the State of the City to May 28.

Most San Bernardino County Fire facilities, including fire stations, administrative offices and County Fire Household Hazardous Waste facilities, have closed to the public "out of an abundance of caution" until further notice, the agency said in a press release Tuesday.

Fire stations remain fully staffed and operational, the agency said, and Household Hazardous Waste will continue to pick up bulk hazardous waste from its remote facilities. The agency encourages people to use its online services.

San Bernardino County orders cancellations of all gatherings

In neighboring San Bernardino County, the acting health officer on Tuesday ordered the cancellation of all gatherings from Wednesday through at least April 6.

The county also said a woman in her 50s tested positive for the virus. It is the county's third case.

Beginning Wednesday, all movie theaters, gyms, health clubs, bars, adult entertainment establishments and other business that serve alcohol but not food will be closed. Food establishments must follow guidelines from the California Department of Public Health.

The state has recommended restaurants focus on delivery and takeout while maximizing social distancing for those inside.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.