Despite reaching two grim milestones in the ongoing coronavirus crisis, Gov. Gavin Newson on Friday said that some restrictions from California’s stringent stay-at-home order may begin to be lifted in “many days, not weeks.”
The encouraging remarks came as the state crossed two sobering thresholds in the pandemic, with the number of cases surpassing 50,000 and the death toll reaching 2,000.
In recent days and weeks, however, Newsom has faced increasing pressure from protestors to reopen the economy. Earlier in the week, the governor outlined a four-phase plan to slowly relax coronavirus restrictions, saying changes could come within weeks.
On Friday, he hinted that may begin even sooner.
“I want folks to know, we’re getting very close to making really meaningful augmentations to that stay-at-home order,” Newsom said at his latest daily briefing on the state’s response to COVID-19. “I want to say many days, not weeks.”
The governor also noted that the state was getting close to making announcements that people working the retail and hospitality sectors would find “very meaningful.”
The comments appear to be indicator that California could possibly be preparing to enter the second phase of the plan, which would allow some nonessential businesses to reopen, along with schools, child care centers and some public spaces — but only with modifications.
One rural county in Northern California, sparsely populated Modoc County, became the first to defy the state’s order when it began lifting restrictions Friday. Other areas have eyed adjustments that fall within the order’s parameters.
There are 50,442 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in California, a roughly 3.1% increase from Thursday, according to the state’s official count. Nearly half of all cases have been reported in Los Angeles County, considered the coronavirus epicenter in California.
The state reported 91 new deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 2,073.
Coronavirus testing has also been ramped up across California, with the state now exceeding 25,000 per day, Newsom said. More than 650,000 tests have been conducted thus far.
Overall, California has the fifth highest number of cases in the U.S., behind New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Illinois, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The sobering statistics are yet another reminder of the need for Golden State residents to adhere to the statewide stay-at-home orders and continue to practice social distancing, according to the governor.
“Don’t think this virus has disappeared,” he cautioned.
But there was some reason for optimism, as coronavirus-related hospitalizations saw a modest 2% decrease, while ICU numbers flattened. Both are key indicators in California’s phased-in approach to relaxing COVID-19 restrictions.
Still, Newsom said he hopes to avoid seeing a repeat of last week, where images captured large crowds flocking to Orange County beaches for some respite from the first heat wave of the year.
In response, Newsom ordered the temporary closure of all beaches in the county, effective Friday, to prevent large gatherings this weekend as forecasters predicated another sunny, warm weekend in the Southland.
“We’ll see what happens in the course of this weekend,” he said. “If we have the kind of weekend that I hope and expect we will, where we don’t see those huge crowds descend, then we’re going to be in a position — as early as Monday, Tuesday I hope — to make some announcements.”
He emphasized that people’s actions are ultimately what will determine the time frame of when the state eases coronavirus closures. If people adhere to the state’s guidance, Californians will start seeing restrictions lifted, albeit with modifications, earlier than if people stop following the order, Newson said.
The governor added that the only things that will advance the spread of the virus are large gatherings of people and people not practicing social distancing.
If that happens, the progress made in the state to combat the virus will be impeded, likely meaning rules will stay in place.
“We can screw all that up, we can set it all back, by making bad decisions,” Newsom warned. If “we see the images we saw last weekend, and concentration of thousands of people, we can start to see a spread again.”