California took a step backward in the reopening of the state yesterday as Governor Gavin Newsom ordered stricter indoor measures across most of the state.
“We have to be much more vigilant in terms of maintaining our physical distancing from others and be much more vigilant as it relates to the prospects of being in situations where we are transmitting COVID-19. The decisions we’re making here today — we do so soberly but thoughtfully and deliberately with an idea on mitigating the spread of this virus.”
– Governor Newsom
The governor has stopped people visiting indoor restaurants, bars, wineries, entertainment centers, movie theaters, zoos, museums, and card rooms for the next three weeks. Outdoor services are permitted to continue, such as outdoor dining and takeaway, and outdoor seating for bars.
The backstep comes after areas began reopening in late May, continuing with retail, restaurants, bars, and gyms opening on June 12th.
The measures were taken in advance of the July 4th holiday period to prevent potential mass gatherings of celebration. The governor is also recommending all fireworks shows in the affected nineteen counties are canceled too.
The counties affected are Contra Costa, Fresno, Glenn, Imperial, Kern, Kings, Los Angeles, Merced, Orange, Riverside, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Joaquin, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Solano, Stanislaus, Tulare, and Ventura. These nineteen have been chosen due to troubling stats for the last three consecutive days, including hospitalizations, community transmission, and hospital capacity reports the LA Times.
As of yesterday, there have been 232,657 confirmed coronavirus cases and 6,090 deaths in the state.
