California‘s governor Gavin Newsom has been slammed for publishing a list of activities residents are ‘allowed’ to enjoy under lockdown amid protests over his decision to extend stay-at-home orders and close beaches.
The Democrat said millions of the state’s residents can still meditate, play singles badminton, climb trees, ride a bike or watch the sunrise while complying with social distancing.
Many who have been stuck inside for weeks slammed him for policing the population, mocked his ‘all-powerful’ leadership and said his suggestions came straight from a California tourism commercial.
He released the list as Modoc County in northern California announced it would defy his lockdown orders by opening bars and restaurants and Huntington Beach council said it would sue over the closure of beaches.
Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes also vowed ‘not to take enforcement action’ because his community has been ‘singled out’ and ‘fails to recognize the sacrifices made’ by citizens.
‘Governor Newsom’s mandate to close all beaches in Orange County today was a jarring decision that significantly impacts us here in Huntington Beach,’ Mayor Lyn Semeta said in a statement.
Harmeet Dhillon, Californian Republican Party vice chairwoman, has described Californian Governor Gavin Newsom as going ‘off the deep end’ when he closed beaches to enforce social distancing. Pictured, people gathering on Huntington Beach on April 30
‘Given that Orange County has among the lowest per-capita COVID-19 death rates in California, the action by the state prioritizes politics over data, in direct contradiction of the Governor’s stated goal to allow science and facts to guide our response to this horrible global pandemic.’
Harmeet Dhillon, Californian Republican Party vice chairwoman, has described Gov Newsom as going ‘off the deep end’ when he closed beaches to enforce social distancing today.
The council voted to seek ‘any and all legal actions necessary’ to challenge Newsom’s order.
As of Friday morning Orange County had 2,393 cases and 45 fatalities. The state has 50,000 confirmed infections and 2,036 people have died.
But on Thursday, Orange County saw a spike with 145 new cases, the fourth time in six days they have risen.
Modoc County, an isolated and sparsely populated are in Northern California, announced this week they will start to reopen schools, hair salons, churches, restaurants and the county’s only movie theater.
They would be the first county in the state to do so, and so far have recorded no coronavirus cases.
Ned Coe, a cattle rancher and county supervisor, said Thursday that the county across the border from Oregon said: ‘Just as our physical health is vital for our citizens, so is the mental health and the economic health of our citizens.’
Other rural communities have questioned while they are still under lockdown orders, despite recording a low number of cases.
Bob Williams, the chairman of Tehama County’s Board of Supervisors, in Northern California, has joined a chorus of elected leaders asking Newsom to gently lift their stay-at-home orders. His community only has one recorded case of COVID-19.
He told the LA Times: ‘Is it fair to treat Tehama the same as LA County?” he said. “I think the locals that are dealing with the problem here are better suited to understand what’s needed in rural California than folks in Sacramento or LA’.
Williams hopes that reopening will help reverse the economic damage the pandemic has caused.
Gov. Newsom took action to close the beaches yesterday after ‘disturbing’ images showed masses of residents flock to the sands over the weekend – ignoring the state’s stay-at-home order.
The governor had been expected to shutter all beaches and state parks across California from today, after a leaked memo from Newsom’s administration to the California Police Chiefs’ Association surfaced Wednesday.
But Newsom announced during a press conference Thursday the new order only applies to state and local beaches in Orange County.
‘Orange County has been on our list of health concern and they’ve done a wonderful job down there, I just think we can tighten that up a little bit. So we’re going to have a temporary pause down there,’ he said.
‘Everyone saw those images and we’re all concerned about that. … That’s what ultimately led to this decision,’ Newsom added.
Newsom has published a list of ‘acceptable’ stay-at-home activities, including horseriding, jogging, meditation, picnics, tree climbing, singles golf and watching the sun rise or set.
‘We want you to see sunsets,’ he said. ‘We want you to enjoy activities outdoors. What they don’t want is people congregating outside in large groups.’
Twitter erupted as people complained their brain’s were being policed.
One said: ‘Lol, meditation is approved on the list @GavinNewsom put out. Oh, thank you for not policing my brain activities. That’s so lenient of you.’
Another added: ‘SFGate article lists activities that are “allowed” by @GavinNewsom. If this isn’t tyranny-I don’t know what is. Californians are “allowed” to garden and jog? This is some scary stuff.’
One wrote: ‘Wait. No hopscotch? I sure hope he revises his list of sanctioned activities.’
Another user penned: ‘Oh my, I’m SO GRATEFUL that my Lord and Master @GavinNewsom has graced us with a list of outdoor activities that we are ALLOWED to do! Huzzah! Let us peasants bow on bended knee & vow to be worthy of his merciful thoughtfulness!!’
Another said: ‘Meanwhile, in CA, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the activities we peasants are allowed during the lockdown.
‘I’ll see you at the State Capitol protest tomorrow while the governor sits atop his throne and whittles away at this list of allowable activities.’
It comes after Newsom admitted he felt under pressure to lift coronavirus lockdown restrictions following moves from other US states but said he won’t bow to it.
Stay-at-home orders issued by governors across the US and subsequent decisions to slowly reopen state economies have turned into highly charged political issues in recent weeks as the shutdowns continue to hammer the nation’s economy.
In an interview with NBC’s Today on Wednesday, Newsom said he would be lying if he said he didn’t feel pressure from other states and those who want to reopen California, including some who have staged protests.
‘There’s no question it puts pressure. I don’t dismiss any of those protests or any of those points of criticism… The one thing I will dismiss is pressure as points of guidance. It will be data and health that guide our decision making,’ he said.
‘I’m worried we can erase all the gains in a very short period of time.’
Asked if he thought the worst of COVID-19 was behind them in California, Newsom said: ‘In my gut, I do… only if we take seriously these next phases.
‘If people just assume… that the virus is going to take the weekend off or maybe go on summer vacation then we’re in real trouble where a potential second wave that erases all the progress and potentially puts literally tens of thousands of lives at risk. We do, I think, have to be cautious and data will drive out decisions.’
Dozens of protesters lined the streets in California’s Orange County on Monday to demand the state reopen.
Photos from the demonstration show people hoisting flags into the air and waving signs reading ‘Open California!’
Surfers wait for waves as the sun goes down the day before the beach is scheduled to close during the coronavirus outbreak
People gather at the beach in front of the pier in Huntington Beach, California, after Newsom ordered the beaches closed
A helicopter flies over surfers in Huntington Beach after the city voted to sue Newsom over the decision to close beaches
The pier is seen locked and closed as it has since mid-March in Newport Beach, California
California residents on the beach fly kites and relax on the sand during the last day of beaches being open
Pictured: A California woman holds makeshift sign that reads ‘Open California’ while she joined other residents to protest Gov. Gavin Newsom’s stay-at-home orders
California’s stay-at-home orders have a tentative end date that Gov. Newsom said depended on how well the state navigated the outbreak
Newsom told Californians that public health restrictions would be further enforced Monday and added: ‘The likelihood of having a virus-free world is not realistic in the next number of months’
Few attendees donned face masks and gloves were scarce among the crowd. Social distancing also seemed forgotten as people stood shoulder to shoulder in the country’s latest anti-lockdown protest.
It came as Newsom on Tuesday outlined a roadmap for one of the largest economies in the world to gradually reopen for business.
Curbside retail, manufacturing and other ‘lower-risk workplaces’ should reopen within weeks as coronavirus testing and tracing improves, according to Newsom.
Non-essential businesses like offices where remote work is not possible and childcare facilities would be in the first phase of reopening, along with some parks.
The next stage would involve reopening higher risk workplaces, including hair and nails salons, gyms and movie theaters. Sports without live audiences and in person religious services would fall in this category.
The end of California’s stay-at-home order and re-opening the highest risk parts of the economy would fall under stage four. It would include mass gatherings such as concerts, convention centers and live audience sports.
Newsom said higher-risk businesses and activities, such as concerts and large gatherings, would take months to restart.
California schools could start their 2020 year as early as July to make up for a ‘learning loss’ from closures and to allow the broader workforce to return to work, Newsom said.
‘We believe we are weeks, not months away from making meaningful modifications,’ he said.
California currently has at least 46,507 cases and 1,875 deaths.
Newsom was among the first U.S. governors to issue a statewide stay-at-home order.
The Democratic governor has yet to set an end date for the order and has said he will coordinate with Oregon and Washington on reopening once safety benchmarks are reached.
Minnesota, Mississippi, Colorado, Montana, Tennessee, Georgia, Oklahoma, Alaska and South Carolina – will, or have already, restarted their economies following weeks of mandatory lockdowns that have thrown millions of American workers out of their jobs.
California will be ready for reopening once it has met benchmarks like statewide contact tracing to help identify those who might be infected and a stabilization in coronavirus hospitalizations, health officials have said.
The state ranks about midway among US states in terms of per capita coronavirus testing, with 14,602 tests per million residents, according to the Covid Tracking Project, a volunteer group that publishes data on the pandemic.