City of Cathedral City, CA

Mayor Raymond Gregory and Supervisor Perez Urge You to Get Tested for COVID-19 Beginning on Monday, January 11th through Friday, January 15th from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm, the public can get free COVID-19 testing in Cathedral City at Northgate Church located at 30010 Date Palm Drive. Thanks to a partnership with Riverside County Public Health, Logistic Health Incorporated and Northgate Church, this testing location will be available via appointment at www.LHI.care/covidtesting o...r by telephone at (888) 634-1123. Walk-ups will be served if a scheduled slot is a no-show or time permits. To save time, the organizers highly recommend making an appointment via the website. Mayor Raymond Gregory and Supervisor V. Manuel Perez along with former Mayor Kathy DeRosa were onsite this morning encouraging the community to get tested. In the video, you will see Mayor Gregory receiving the PCR Nasal Swab, which is the most accurate test readily available, and he says, it doesn’t hurt at all. WHAT: Free COVID-19 Testing at Northgate Church in Cathedral City WHEN: Monday, January 11, 2021 through Friday, January 15, 2021 from 7 am to 7 pm WHERE: Northgate Church, 30010 Date Palm Drive, Cathedral City

New COVID-19 Testing Location at Northgate Church in Cathedral City Mayor Raymond Gregory to get tested to show importance of regular screenings CATHEDRAL CITY A state-operated coronavirus testing site will provide COVID testing next week in Cathedral City. Coronavirus testing will be available from Monday, January 11 to Friday, January 15, at Northgate Community Church in Cathedral City, 30-010 Date Palm Dr. The site is open from 7:00 a.m. until 7 p.m. daily.... Testing is open to anyone. Appointments are required and can be made online at https://lhi.care/covidtesting. Walk-ins will be limited to replace missed appointments. The site is operated by the State of California and OptumServe, in partnership with Riverside County, and can accommodate up to 165 appointments per day. All residents are encouraged to get tested, which helps public health officials identify cases and ultimately slow the spread of the virus by more effectively isolating those who are COVIDpositive so they can recover without passing the virus to others. Testing is for everyone, regardless of immigration status, insurance, or whether one has symptoms or not. There is no charge to the individual. Testing, however, is a snapshot in time. A test result is only from the point of time one got tested and the virus could be incubating. The virus can still be contracted from people who are COVIDpositive and may not know it. As the hospitals are under immense strain, it is important everyone keep their guard up and follow the public health requirements. With the rapid spread of coronavirus, it is important to have testing closer and widely available in our communities to slow the spread of this virus, said Supervisor V. Manuel Perez. Having this testing site in Cathedral City will improve access for these residents, especially for those who haven’t been tested before now, and it will help keep their coworkers, families and the community safe. Cathedral City Mayor Raymond Gregory will get tested at the new site on Monday morning, the City of Cathedral City announced on Friday. As we face a surge on top of a surge, it is important that all residents get tested for COVID-19 on a regular basis, stated Mayor Gregory. With vaccines still months away for most of our population, testing remains a crucial tool in the fight against the coronavirus by allowing an infected person to isolate so he or she will not spread it unknowingly to another family member or coworker. In addition to this temporary testing location, testing sites are at the Riverside County Fairgrounds in Indio, and state-operated testing sites at the Palm Springs Convention Center and in Desert Hot Springs. Riverside County residents are also getting tested at pharmacies, community health centers, nonprofit health clinics, hospitals, private testing sites and urgent cares. For information on testing and county and state-operated testing sites, visit https://gettested.ruhealth.org.

Cathedral City Extends Face Coverings and Social Distancing Mandate through the End of March 2021 The City Council has authorized the Director of Emergency Services to issue Emergency Order 3C which extends the requirement of facial coverings and social distancing in public settings. Enforcement of this order may include a fine of $100 for the first offense and up to $500 for repeat offenses. Emergency Order 3C will be in place through March 31, 2021, unless extended. Masks... and social distancing are required while in public including all essential workers with the following exceptions: When at home Driving alone in the car or with members of their household Children under the age of 2 years While outdoors and/or exercising outdoors as long as you practice social distancing of at least 6 feet between others and have a face covering readily accessible if you encounter others and are unable to social distance. (walking, hiking, golfing, etc.) Those who have a medical condition that prevents the use of a facial covering and certified by a medical professional. Businesses must: Require all employees, contractors, owners, and volunteers to wear a face covering at the workplace Inform customers to wear a face covering including posting signs and advising those standing in line Take reasonable steps to keep people who are not wearing a face covering from entering the business Refuse service to anyone not wearing a face covering Face coverings are defined as dense fabric without holes, bandanas, neck gaiter, or other fabric face coverings. To review Emergency Order 3C, go to: https://www.discovercathedralcity.com//Emergency-Order-3C-

Cathedral City’s Weekly Newsletter Click on the following link to read this week’s newsletter: http://bit.ly/issue269

Follow COVID-19 Protocols Regarding Holiday Light Viewing The City of Cathedral City has received concerns from residents regarding people not abiding to COVID-19 protocols when viewing holiday lights, such as: Staying in your vehicle and drive by the holiday lights... If you are walking on sidewalks, wear a facial covering and social distance from others outside of your immediate household However, since the Governor enacted the Regional Stay at Home Order effective as of Sunday, December 6, 2020 at 11:59 pm, no one should be out and about just looking at holiday lights as it is not classified as an essential need. With a huge spike in the number of reported COVID-19 cases, record hospitalizations, and a Stay at Home Order by Governor Newsom, the City asks that holiday light viewers stay home and watch holiday movies, play family games, and enjoy making your own holiday decorations. If you walk for exercise, please know that you must have a facial covering with you at all times and wear it if you come within 6 feet of anyone outside of your immediate household. There are several exceptions that can be seen at https://www.cdph.ca.gov///guidance-for-face-coverings.aspx.

Mayor John Aguilar Recognized for His Six Years of Service on the City Council At last night’s city council meeting, Mayor John Aguilar stepped down from his position on the city council as he did not seek re-election in the November 2020 General Election. Each of the councilmembers who served with him offered their praise and well wishes for his next chapter in life. They provided him with an engraved ceremonial gavel similar to the one used during the council meetings. M...ayor Aguilar has served as a councilmember since being appointed in 2014 and later elected at-large by the voters in 2016 to a full four-year term. Just recently, he was appointed to serve on the Coachella Valley Water District Board of Directors. Cathedral City has gone through tremendous changes and renewal since Mayor Aguilar joined the city council in 2014. The following video narrated by CCTV Host Conrad Angel Corral highlights the many changes in our great city over the past six years. We can thank Mayor Aguilar for playing a significant role in making all of it happen. There are also several humorous dance segments by each of the councilmembers that were to be played at the 2020 State of the City in March that was unfortunately canceled due to the pandemic. Enjoy!

637 Active COVID-19 Cases in Cathedral City Now is definitely not the time to let your guard down when it comes to protecting your family from contracting the Coronavirus. Yesterday, Cathedral City had its highest record number of a one day total since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Cathedral City had an increase of 222 confirmed cases. There is speculation, though, that a backlog of other day totals was included in yesterday’s numbers. Even if that is true, Cathedral City ...has had a 15.5% increase in total number of COVID-19 cases since December 1st. As of the first of the month, Cathedral City had a cumulative combined total of 2,405 confirmed cases since the pandemic began. As of yesterday, that number soared to 2,772 with 2,135 recovered patients, leaving 637 active COVID-19 cases in our city according to data from Riverside University Health Systems. And unfortunately, two Cathedral City residents lost their battle with COVID-19 since December 1st. Our city is not an anomaly to this crisis. Other Valley cities are reporting similar results. Riverside County as a whole has seen a 21.7% increase in confirmed COVID-19 cases since December 1st. Riverside County went from 84,824 confirmed cases on December 1st to 103, 221 confirmed cases as of yesterday, leaving a total of 33,887 active cases. Hospitalization rates have soared since December 1st as well. Riverside County hospitals have seen a 22% increase in the number of people being hospitalized since the beginning of December going from 600 patients to 733 patients. The number of COVID-19 patients admitted to the ICU have increased as well by 13.3%, going from 127 patients on December 1st to 144 as of yesterday. To protect your family from the Coronavirus, practice these current best tools available: Wear a face mask when around others outside of your immediate household, even around extended family members If meeting others outside of your immediate household, try to meet outdoors. Social distance at least 6 feet away from others outside of your immediate household Limit your shopping in person to as few times each week as possible and avoid extended time inside a retail store, such as a grocery store. Wash your hands often throughout the day and especially before eating and drinking Disinfect often touched items like a smartphone that also touches your face Following these important steps can significantly mitigate your chances of acquiring the coronavirus and protect you from spreading it to others.

New City Council Sworn-In and Ready to Proceed Today Last night, the two councilmembers who won their district elections were sworn into office to serve a four-year term on the city council. In District 1, Councilmember Rita Lamb, who won in a special election last November to fill the seat vacated by the late Mayor Greg Pettis, was sworn into office to serve a full-term of four years. Additionally, Nancy Ross became the first councilmember to officially represent District ...2 as part of the new City Charter. Councilmember Ross was elected to serve a full-term of four years. Moments after, the new council voted to confirm that Councilmember Raymond Gregory (District 5) will serve as Mayor for a one-year term and Councilmember Ernesto Gutierrez (District 4) will serve as Mayor Pro Tem for a one-year term. Due to the pandemic, the swearing-in ceremonies were conducted online and available on cable channel 17. Pictured is the new city council following COVID-19 protocols briefly together for a quick photo. From to left to right are Councilmember Nancy Ross, Councilmember Mark Carnevale, Mayor Raymond Gregory, Councilmember Rita Lamb and Mayor Pro Tem Ernesto Gutierrez. Today, the new council will have its first meeting starting at 2:30 pm. It will be the first completely virtual meeting with no staff or councilmembers in the council chamber. You watch the meeting on cable channel 17, www.CathedralCity.gov or DiscoverCathedralCity.com and click on CCTV.