Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that retail stores across California could start to reopen on Friday as part of the second stage of the state’s reopening.
The Monday announcement is at odds with Newsom’s hard-line stance on reopening the state too soon to continue flattening the curve of the coronavirus pandemic that has made parts of California a hotbed. The governor has received praise for his handling of the crisis and for preventing the state from escalating to the levels of cases seen by New York. Economic uncertainty, however, has left many Californians frustrated.
“We are entering into the next phase this week,” Newsom said at a news conference. “This is a very positive sign, and it’s happened only for one reason: The data says it can happen.”
The Los Angeles Times reported Newsom’s new guidelines would allow bookstores, music stores, toy stores, florists, sporting good retailers, and others to reopen for pickup later this week.
The governor’s plan will also expand local municipalities’ ability to reopen at their own pace instead of complying with a uniform state order. Counties that want to push for further reopening, however, need to meet requirements for hospital beds, testing kits, and the ability to track infected individuals and trace their contacts.
Newsom has clashed some with local municipalities in the state on the timeline of when to open and who should have the authority to do so. Three counties in California have already started reopening their local economies despite the statewide stay-at-home order. Modoc County said last week all businesses and churches could reopen, but people must keep a 6-foot distance from each other. Yuba and Sutter counties joined Modoc Sunday.
The governor also announced the closure of all state parks and beaches in Orange County last week after pictures of people not following social distancing guidelines circulated online. The move was met with hundreds of protesters urging him to lift the stay-at-home order.
California has seen nearly 56,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and almost 2,300 deaths. The San Francisco Bay Area was a hotbed when the outbreak was first gaining traction, but the growth has become more concentrated now in the Los Angeles area. LA County has had half of the state’s total number of deaths.
