Riverside moves to virtual meetings due to rise in COVID-19 cases

Riverside will hold its public meetings this month in virtual format.

That move, scheduled to begin with Tuesday’s city council meeting, is a response to rising COVID-19 infections and the need to keep city services running smoothly, according to a statement on the city’s website.

All meetings – council, council committee sessions and meetings of city boards and commissions  – will be live streamed. Members of the public will be able to speak on issues by using E-comment and by telephone.

“The changes reflect the reality that COVID-19 is surging, both nationally and in Riverside County, as a result of the highly contagious omicron variant,” the statement reads. “Across the United States, new cases per day have more than doubled during the past two weeks, with more than 265,000 per day on average.”