California Governor Gavin Newsom plans to issue an order closing all beaches and state parks, effective May 1, according to a report by Fox 11 Los Angeles.
According to KTTV 11 reporter Bill Melugin, Newsom’s office informed California police chiefs Wednesday of the impending change. Melugin received the police bulletin from a source, and then confirmed the bulletin with the Orange County Board of Supervisors.
BREAKING: A source has provided me with this bulletin that will be sent out to all California police chiefs notifying them that tomorrow, Governor Newsom will announce the closure of ALL beaches and state parks effective May 1st in response to recent beach crowds in OC . @FOXLA pic.twitter.com/RG53HhmySf
— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) April 30, 2020
BREAKING: OC Board of Supervisors confirms to us they have received the bulletin. @FOXLA
— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) April 30, 2020
Orange County is at the center of the controversy, since it has not closed its beaches, unlike Los Angeles County. Over the last weekend, warm temperatures in Southern California drove many people to seek relief at the coast. Some were reported to have been lax in observing “social distancing” protocols.
Newsom scolded beachgoers in a press conference on Monday, saying that they were undermining the state’s fight against the coronavirus pandemic and endangering plans to reopen the economy.
But San Diego County proceeded with plans to open some beaches on Monday, and the city council of Newport Beach — where many of the crowds had gathered on the weekend — voted to keep beaches there open, albeit with more police to enforce social distancing.
Newsom had not confirmed the order as of Wednesday evening, but exhorted the public to continue to observe social distancing:
Going to REPEAT, REPEAT, REPEAT:
CA is flattening the curve because folks are staying home. Practicing physical distancing.
We aren’t out of the woods yet.
We must continue to take this seriously and allow our re-opening to be guided by science and public health.
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) April 30, 2020
Recent research suggests that the coronavirus is more difficult to transmit outdoors and does not survive long in sunlight.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). His new book, RED NOVEMBER, is available for pre-order. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.</em
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