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Worshipers filled St. Louis Catholic Church in Cathedral City on Sunday for Mass despite a warning from Riverside County's top health official to avoid large gatherings amid coronavirus concerns.

They said they weren’t acting in defiance; they were seeking comfort.

“We believe in God and he’ll help protect us against coronavirus,” Cathedral City resident Jacqueline Gomez, 18, said as she arrived with her sister and parents.

She added service typically attracts at least 200 people.

Riverside County Public Health Officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser on Thursday ordered the cancellation of public gatherings of 250 people or more, falling in line with a state advisory issued hours before. Kaiser took to Twitter following the declaration to remind people that rule also applied to church gatherings.

"So there is no confusion, CHURCHES are part of the mass gathering cancellation order issued Thursday, March 12. This is necessary as we work to keep our communities safe," he said in the tweet.

Kaiser on Friday ordered the closure of all Riverside County public schools, as well as preschools, charter schools, private schools and all colleges and universities in the county, to reduce the spread of the coronavirus.

The order will be lifted April 3 and classes will resume on April 6, unless another update is warranted before that time, Kaiser said in a statement.

The number of reported cases of coronavirus in Riverside County stands at 14 with announcement of two more cases on Saturday. Twelve of the cases are in the Coachella Valley.

St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church in Palm Desert and Southwest Church in Indian Wells, two of the Coachella Valley's largest churches, offered streamed services rather than in-person gatherings.

“We know that the next two to three weeks are critical” in slowing or stopping the spread of coronavirus, said Kathleen Kelly, interim rector at St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church in Palm Desert, based on public health recommendations. “We’re trying to be very responsive to what the Riverside County health officer has asked."

The two Sunday services together draw about 450 people to St. Margaret’s during high season, Kelly said.

More:Coronavirus: Southwest, St. Margaret's churches to livestream services. Catholic churches will still hold Mass

Although the risk of contracting coronavirus was on their minds, parishioners at St. Louis agreed church was a better place to be than home.

Like Gomez, several people said they’re more at peace in a house of worship and will likely continue coming each Sunday during the pandemic.

“I hear words of comfort coming to church,” said Cathedral City resident Fernando Lopez, 39. “Otherwise, I’m home, doing little and dwelling on getting sick.”

Riverside County sheriff’s deputies who monitor traffic outside Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Palm Desert said traffic was lighter than usual Sunday morning, although there was still a significant number of attendees at services.

Among them were North Dakota residents Mike and Marie Sidener, who attended the church while on vacation.

“It’s very important to us. It’s what we do,” said Marie Sidener, 69.

Blizzards have prevented them from attending church in the past, and Marie Sidener said she would likely skip out during the pandemic if she was diagnosed with the coronavirus and wanted to avoid sickening others. Otherwise, she said, she doesn't think it is unsafe to attend church.

“You don’t have to kiss, hug or touch other people,” she said.

Palm Desert resident Larry Daniels, 50, said he’d been attending church every Sunday for most of his life and missing worship would be harder than cutting back on other daily routines during the pandemic. He said he would sit in the back row or anywhere that separated him from other attendees.

“Skipping church is easier said than done for me and I’m going to find ways to be here,” he said. “The same could probably be said for a lot of people.”

Chris Spicciati, 71, was in town for the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament, which was canceled a week ago, and she spent her Sunday at St. Francis of Assisi in La Quinta with about 150 other churchgoers.

The Colorado woman said most people were spread out and church officials said they would no longer be shaking hands as a precaution due to the coronavirus.

Spicciati said she wouldn’t attend church if she was sick, but felt it is safe to go as long as precautionary measures are in place.

“I don’t think that, at 57 deaths, you should stop living life,” she said of the nationwide fatalities.

As of Sunday afternoon, the U.S. death toll from COVID-19 rose to 62, with the total number of confirmed cases surging to more than 3,200. Nearly 335 cases had been confirmed in California.

First case reported in San Bernardino County

San Bernardino County on Sunday announced its first confirmed case of the coronavirus. The patient, 53, went to Kaiser Fontana on Thursday after she became symptomatic and was tested for the virus.

"Our department is identifying who they had contact with so we can monitor any signs and symptoms," Lana Culp, spokesperson for the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health, told The Desert Sun.

On Tuesday, San Bernardino County declared a local health emergency. Two days later, it ordered the cancellation or postponement of all gatherings with 250 or more people in an attempt to stem spread of the virus.

“We knew it was only a matter of time before we recorded our first case,” San Bernardino County's Acting County Health Officer Dr. Erin Gustafson said in a statement. “This does not change our level of readiness and alert because the county is in a state of emergency, we are prepared from a public health standpoint, and our residents, cities, businesses and other key communities have been informed about safe practices.”

What we know about Riverside County cases

No new cases of coronavirus were reported in Riverside County as of press time early Sunday evening. Here's what we know about the 14 reported cases so far:

Saturday, March 14: Two Coachella Valley residents are reported as testing positive for coronavirus. One of the patients was hospitalized and the other was in isolation at home. A county health official said the cases were not associated with community spread.

Two Coachella Valley residents are reported as testing positive for coronavirus. One of the patients was hospitalized and the other was in isolation at home. A county health official said the cases were not associated with community spread. Friday, March 13: Riverside County health officials announced four cases in the Coachella Valley. One person had spent several days in the Rancho Mirage Health and Rehabilitation Center before being transferred to the hospital.

Riverside County health officials announced four cases in the Coachella Valley. One person had spent several days in the Rancho Mirage Health and Rehabilitation Center before being transferred to the hospital. Thursday, March 12: One case is announced in the Coachella Valley.

One case is announced in the Coachella Valley. Wednesday, March 11: One case is announced. The disease was locally acquired and the patient was isolated at home in the Coachella Valley, according a county health official.

One case is announced. The disease was locally acquired and the patient was isolated at home in the Coachella Valley, according a county health official. Monday, March 9: Officials announced three positive cases in the Coachella Valley. Health investigators said the three infections were the result of contact with a known case or travel into areas where the coronavirus has been detected, according to Riverside County health officials. Two of the people were isolated at home and the third was being cared for at a local hospital.

Officials announced three positive cases in the Coachella Valley. Health investigators said the three infections were the result of contact with a known case or travel into areas where the coronavirus has been detected, according to Riverside County health officials. Two of the people were isolated at home and the third was being cared for at a local hospital. Monday, March 9: Health officials also announced that a second Riverside County resident tested positive for coronavirus on a cruise ship. A county official said the patient was a passenger on a Diamond Princess cruise ship and was being treated in Northern California.

Health officials also announced that a second Riverside County resident tested positive for coronavirus on a cruise ship. A county official said the patient was a passenger on a Diamond Princess cruise ship and was being treated in Northern California. Saturday, March 7: Officials announced the county's first case of locally acquired coronavirus. That patient was undergoing care at Eisenhower Health in Rancho Mirage. Health officials declined to disclose details about the patient, including how and when the virus was contracted. A county public health official said on March 8 that officials were still investigating the source of contraction, which they hoped to complete in a couple of days but said it may be a case of "community spread." The patient has no connection to schools in Riverside County, Kaiser said.

Officials announced the county's first case of locally acquired coronavirus. That patient was undergoing care at Eisenhower Health in Rancho Mirage. Health officials declined to disclose details about the patient, including how and when the virus was contracted. A county public health official said on March 8 that officials were still investigating the source of contraction, which they hoped to complete in a couple of days but said it may be a case of "community spread." The patient has no connection to schools in Riverside County, Kaiser said. Tuesday, Feb. 25: The first Riverside County resident to be diagnosed with the coronavirus is reported. The person was also a passenger on the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan and is being treated at a Northern California facility.

More:Coronavirus update: 2 more people in Coachella Valley test positive; county total now 14

Desert AIDS Project opens COVID-19 triage unit

Desert AIDS Project, a Federally Qualified Health Center in Palm Springs, will be opening a specialized COVID-19 triage clinic, according to a Facebook announcement.

Last week, the health center opened new clinics for usual day-to-day health care operations, a project that already had been underway. That left the former clinic vacant and available for emergency use. The clinic should be running by Monday.

"This will allow our medical experts to screen patients demonstrating symptoms in a quarantined space, while also allowing our non-symptomatic patients to continue having their health needs met without potential exposure," the announcement read.

The triage clinic will cost DAP $575,000 to operate in the coming months.

More:Coronavirus: Palm Springs city manager declares local emergency; businesses asked to cut occupancy

Eisenhower Health doctor signs petition calling for mandatory social isolation

A petition demanding a state of quarantine for the Coachella Valley in an effort to control the spread of coronavirus was launched late Friday on the website change.org, with at least one signature from an Eisenhower Health physician.

The petition states: “We believe that mandatory social isolation is the only weapon left to us to slow the spread of this virus and make sure our three hospitals are not overwhelmed. Our valley has a patient population that is largely elderly and/or immunocompromised, and we feel this is in the best interest of patient safety and is based on the available scientific evidence."

About 130 people had signed the petition as of Sunday morning

Richard Loftus, an internal medicine doctor and hospitalist at Eisenhower Health hospital, who says he signed the petition, told The Desert Sun on Saturday that he believes the Coachella Valley, and the nation as a whole, doesn’t have enough test kits or hospital beds to meet the predicted demand.

“That is why this region needs to be on lockdown,” Loftus said. “We don’t have enough testing technology, which means we need to have social isolation or else our health systems are going to get overwhelmed like Italy. We have a lot of people over the age of 70 here, just like Italy, and we aren’t going to have enough ventilators for them either. In Italy, they are having to make decisions of who gets the ventilators and who just dies.”

On Sunday morning, a small gathering of protesters stood outside of Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs with signs that said “protect our healthcare workers." By 11:30 a.m., the protesters were gone and all that remained were two discarded signs.

Representatives from Eisenhower Health, which is not affiliated with the creation of the petition, said they did not have an official comment in regard to the petition.

Representatives from Desert Regional Medical Center did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

More:Petition calls for mandatory social isolation for Coachella Valley amid coronavirus fears

More:US hospitals will run out of beds if coronavirus cases spike

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Desert Sun reporter Nicole Hayden covers health and healthcare in the Coachella Valley. She can be reached at Nicole.Hayden@desertsun.com or (760) 778-4623. Follow her on Twitter @Nicole_A_Hayden