Gov. Gavin Newsom is closing a few California beaches, but the list of permitted activities still includes state pastimes like 'meditation' and 'exploring rock pools'
Trending News
California issued the first stay-at-home order in the US on March 19. It's set to remain in place until further notice, though Gov. Gavin Newsom said at a press briefing on Friday that the state is "many days, not weeks" away from updating the restrictions.
"I feel some confidence over the course of the next week we're going to be able to make some announcements that will give people some more confidence in the ability for California to get back on its economic feet," Newsom said.
Still, photos of crowded beaches during the warm weather last weekend prompted Newsom to close state beaches in Orange County an effort to enforce social-distancing measures. Newsom threatened earlier this week to close all California state beaches, but announced on Thursday that the restriction will only to the one Southern California county."It's okay to go outside to go for a walk, to exercise, and participate in healthy activities as long as you maintain a safe physical distance of 6 feet and gather only with members of your household," the website says.
It also gives a "non-exhaustive" list of permitted activities that, to some, likely reads as rather stereotypically Californian.The list includes: exploring rock pools, kite boarding and kitesurfing, meditation, rock climbing, skateboarding (not in groups), and yoga.
Nine counties in the Bay Area were the first in the US to issue a shelter-in-place order. Beginning March 17, residents were told to stay inside their homes as much as possible and leave only for essential needs, such as to buy groceries or medicine.
Gov. Newsom issued the statewide order two days later, and warned that 56% of the population could get infected with the virus over an eight-week period — about 22.5 million people. At that point, California had confirmed 1,067
But the state's early action seems to have enabled it to avoid the worst-case projections for the state.
Although California has flattened the curve, its daily number of new cases is not yet in dramatic decline. As of Friday, the state had more than 50,000
Copyright © 2021. Times Internet Limited. All rights reserved.For reprint rights. Times Syndication Service.
Next