California rolls back reopening as cases surge
SACRAMENTO (AP) — Bars and inside restaurant dining are banned throughout California, while indoor religious services, gyms, and hair and nail salons are again off-limits in most of the state, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday in issuing a sweeping set of closures to head off surging coronavirus cases and hospitalizations.
The order is part of the state’s new strategy to control the spread of the virus by focusing on limiting indoor activities to reflect public health officials’ evolving understanding of how the virus spreads.
Earlier in the pandemic California closed beaches, campgrounds and state parks as it sought to limit interactions of people from different households. But as data showed the virus was most likely to be transmitted indoors, the Newsom administration began modifying public health orders, including ordering people to wear face coverings and leaving outdoor activities alone.
The United States on Monday confirmed 59,222 new coronavirus cases in the previous 24 hours, Johns Hopkins University reported in its real-time tally.
That put the total number of cases in the US, the nation hardest-hit by the global pandemic, at more than 3.36 million, the Baltimore-based university said at 8:30 p.m.
Another 411 deaths were reported, bringing that total toll to 135,582.
The country has seen a resurgence of cases in the so-called Sun Belt, stretching across the south from Florida to California. Newsom has repeatedly implored people to refrain from social gatherings and he expressed frustration that many aren’t following the guidance.
“COVID-19 is not going away anytime soon, until there is a vaccine and or an effective therapy,” Newsom said. “Limit your mixing with people outside of your household. It’s just common sense, but the data suggests not everyone is practicing common sense.”
The city of Los Angeles immediately implemented the mandated shutdowns and Mayor Eric Garcetti said he wouldn’t hesitate to go further.
Earlier this month the city created a color-coded system to designate the threat level from the virus and corresponding shutdowns.
Rising numbers of cases and hospitalizations now have it at orange — the second-highest designation, when people are to minimize all contact with anyone outside their household.
“Red is when everything shuts down again — everything, to our strictest level. And I do want to warn people that we’re close to that,“Garcetti said.
Newsom’s move faced immediate resistance from religious groups and business organizations. Fred Jones, attorney for the Professional Beauty Federation of California, suggested many hair salons may not comply with the order.
He said there is “no evidence that a single contagion has been spread in a salon since we’ve been allowed to reopen.”
“He should be partnering with his state licensed-professionals, not shutting us down,” Jones said. Robbert Tyler, the attorney for California-based Advocates for Faith and Freedom, said he believes Newsom’s order on religious services is unconstitutional.
While Newsom says churches can meet outdoors, Tyler said many don’t have the facilities for that.
“We have not only an economic crisis but we have a spiritual and mental health crisis that requires as much attention as COVID-19,” said Tyler, whose nonprofit organization represents churches on religious liberty issues.