California is starting to reopen THIS WEEK and some beaches will open up after Gov. Newsom was sued
CALIFORNIA stores can begin reopening this week, while restrictions on some beaches have been lifted after Governor Gavin Newsom was sued.
Just days after Newsom ordered all Orange County beaches in the southern part of the state to close, state officials announced two cities would be able to reopen their coastlines.
The announcement comes on the same day Newsom detailed which retailers could open for curbside pickup.
During a Monday news conference, the governor said he would release guidelines for stores selling clothing, book, music, toys, sporting goods and flowers.
If they abide by government policies, they are permitted to reopen.
In counties where local public health officials can certify the spread of the virus is under control, restaurants and other parts of the hospitality sector would be permitted to open their doors.
“We are entering into the next phase this week,” Newsom said.
“This is a very positive sign and it is happening for only one reason: The data says it can happen.”
Newsom has been sued by a number of parties, including two Sacramento County residents who said their right to hold a protest was denied.
A third individual, Kevin Muldoon, a city councilman in Newport Beach, said the governor’s order to close Orange County beaches was a violation of constitutional rights to freedom of travel and freedom of assembly, TMZ reported.
Last week, Laguna Beach and San Clemente submitted plans to Newsom’s office that would open the coastlines for recreational activities, including swimming, surfing and running.
The plans, which were approved Monday and so mean the sandy stretches can reopen, also include measures to ensure social distancing.
Newsom had ordered a “hard closure” of Orange County beaches after a heatwave resulted in thousands flocking to the sand – something Newsom dubbed “disturbing”.
On Friday, thousands flocked to Huntington Beach to protest against Newsom’s closures – of both businesses and beaches.
California becomes the latest state to phase in reopening plans.
Businesses in Georgia, Tennessee, Texas, South Carolina and Colorado have already begun trading again.
However coronavirus deaths in Georgia, one of the states with the most lax restrictions, have soared.
The surge in deaths came days after Governor Brian Kemp made the decision to reopen some parts of the state against the advice of medical experts and even the president himself.
None of these deaths would have been caused by the state’s reopening on Friday due to the time it takes the infection to sicken patients and ultimately kill them.
However, the reopening could result in a catastrophic death toll in two to three weeks.
It also means Georgia had not flattened the infection curve ahead of the reopening.
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Meanwhile the Trump administration is privately projecting a steady rise in the number of deaths over the next several weeks, hitting around 3,000 deaths a day by June 1, The New York Times reported Monday.
The predictions are based on modeling by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and forecast around 200,000 new cases each day by the end of May – an increase from the current 25,000 a day.
So far, there have been more than 1.6 million cases in the US, and 67,795 people have died.
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