Cooling Centers open Across Riverside County

More than a dozen air-conditioned community buildings throughout Riverside County transformed Monday into public cooling centers to help residents beat the heat.

All people, including visitors and staff, will be required to wear face coverings and practice social distancing at the 14 centers to curb the spread of the coronavirus, Riverside County officials said.

"Cool centers make it possible for residents to escape extreme heat and high temperatures during the summer months, particularly those among the most vulnerable populations, like seniors," Riverside County Director of Public Health Kim Saruwatari said. "Safety precautions in the time of coronavirus are being implemented to further protect visitors."

The free services are located in schools, senior and community centers already equipped with air-conditioning. They are expected to remain open until October, or as temperatures warrant, officials said.

Among the 14 locations, five are in the Coachella Valley, two in the Banning Pass, one in Moreno Valley, one in Temecula and five in Riverside. Highs Monday are forecast to be 102 degrees in the Coachella Valley and 89 in Riverside, now that last week’s heat wave has dissipated.

For a list of the cooling centers, go to https://www.capriverside.org/Cool-Centers.

Article credit: City News Service