On March 19, 2020, Governor Newsom issued an Executive Order directing all residents to immediately comply with State public health directives to stay home, except as needed to maintain continuity of operations of essential critical infrastructure sectors and additional sectors as the State Public Health Officer may designate as critical to protect health and well-being of all Californians.
Riverside University Health System–Public Health (RUHSPH) forecasted a model of significant impacts to occur in Riverside County if the rate of COVID-19 confirmed cases continues as-is. The situation is evolving and changes daily as testing becomes more accessible. The model provided by RUHS-PH demonstrates COVID-19 confirmed cases are doubling every 4-5 days throughout Riverside County. Assuming the model remains the same, then the following scenarios will ensue:
• All hospitals across Riverside County will reach capacity by April 12th to April 21st (including ICU beds);
• All hospitals across Riverside County will be out of ventilators by April 22nd - May 5th;
• By the beginning of May, there will be 1,000 deaths and 50,000 cases of COVID-19 in Riverside County;
To end the temporary and painful shut-down of our local economy as quickly as possible, residents and businesses need to do their part to prevent the spread of COVID-19. City of Temecula Code Enforcement is working closely with the Temecula Sheriff’s Station to reach out to the community and businesses that may be in violation of the State’s Public Health Order
Temecula Captain Zach Hall confirmed that violating the State’s Order is a misdemeanor, and reiterated what Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco previously stated, “It is very important that our law enforcement resources are not overburdened by violations of the Stay at Home Order, keeping us from our primary responsibilities.” Captain Hall adds, “We have more deputies on patrol than we have had in several years ensuring the safety of our community.”
“The forecasting provided by RUHS-PH reinforces the necessity to stay home (or safely walk, hike or bicycle to enjoy outdoors), and only run errands for essentials needs,” states Greg Butler, Assistant City Manager. The City of Temecula is urging all businesses and residents to heed the State’s Order. “The City has no authority to provide any exceptions to the State’s Order,” stated Butler who emphasized the importance of preventing the spread of COVID-19.