California Halts Many Indoor Businesses In 19 Counties As Coronavirus Cases Spike

Enlarge this image

Tables are marked with X’s for social distancing in the outdoor dining area of a restaurant in Los Angeles, Wednesday. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has ordered a three-week closure of bars and indoor operations of restaurants and certain other businesses in Los Angeles and 18 other counties as the state copes with increasing cases of COVID-19.

hide caption

toggle caption

Jae C. Hong/AP

YouTube

The order comes as service-industry businesses were preparing for the July 4 weekend – seen by many as a potential bright spot in an otherwise dismal economic year. The governor said the goal is to allow businesses to remain open while also reducing the chance for viral transmission.

«This doesn’t mean restaurants shut down,» Newsom said. «It means that we’re trying to take as many activities as we can … these concentrated activities, and move them outdoors» to lessen the threat of spreading the virus.

The guidance will remain in place for at least three weeks. Each of the counties has been on California’s County Monitoring List — which it uses to highlight counties with worsening health trends — for at least three consecutive days.

#COVID19 cases are spreading at alarming rates in some CA counties.

Effective immediately, @CAPublicHealth is requiring counties that have been on the County Monitoring List for at least 3 days to move certain sectors outdoors or close. pic.twitter.com/NZv7cUHf9L

— Office of the Governor of California (@CAgovernor) July 1, 2020

The spike in cases in California has prompted some counties, such as Los Angeles, to cancel fireworks shows and close their beaches ahead of the upcoming holiday weekend. The state says it will close state beaches in any county that takes that step. And in another bid to reduce crowding, the state is closing all parking facilities for beaches in Southern California and the Bay Area over the weekend.

California reported a single-day record of 7,149 coronavirus cases last week.

«Yesterday, we recorded 5,898 new cases of COVID-19,» Newsom said.

The state is also hitting record highs in COVID-19 hospitalizations, with more than 5,000 people now hospitalized. California had marked a new record just last week, when it reported 3,702 coronavirus patients were in the hospital. Before hitting that mark, the state had reached its previous peak in late April.

California is in Stage 2 of its reopening, allowing stores, offices and limited personal services to reopen with precautions. The plan also applies to outdoor museums and child care. The government is urging residents to stay home when possible and travel only for activities such as health care, outdoor exercise and recreation, and picking up food and other necessities.