Riverside County health officials urge residents to cut Thanksgiving gatherings as COVID-19 cases rise

While the LA County Supervisory Board has voted to uphold the recent health ordinance banning outdoor dining for the time being, in Riverside County such a ban does not exist. But public authorities are urging residents to celebrate the holiday responsibly as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to rise.

“If you are planning to get together for the holidays, please make your Thanksgiving smaller, shorter and safer,” said Riverside County Oversight Board chairman V. Manuel Perez.

Hospitalizations have increased by more than 250% in the past month and the COVID-19 test positivity rate has climbed more than 150%.

“I’m not sharing these numbers to scare you, but to provide an accurate assessment of our current situation in Riverside County,” Riverside County Director of Public Health Kim Saruwatari said. “And that’s before the holiday season even starts.”

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Saruwatari said there had also been an increase in the number of residents showing up at their drive-thru centers to be tested for COVID-19. She is concerned that people who get tested before Thanksgiving may be using negative test results as a reason to let their guard down.

“Please understand that when you test for COVID-19, it just tells you where you are at that particular point in the test. If you’ve been recently exposed and don’t have enough viral load, it may not be detected.

While Saruwatari has said there have been restaurant-related outbreaks, it’s the private gatherings during the holidays that worry her the most.

“There was a substantial increase in cases after Memorial Day and after July 4th. There was an increase several weeks after Labor Day and after Halloween. These are simple facts, they are not meant to scare people … We believe one of the main factors behind these increases has been household gatherings. ”