The sheriff of Los Angeles County says his officers will not enforce the county’s recent order for local beaches to close over Independence Day weekend.
Los Angeles County officials announced on Monday that Los Angeles beaches will be closed over the holiday weekend due to an increase in coronavirus cases, but Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva says his department was not consulted about the decision and will not enforce the order, according to Fox News.
“We were not consulted on the beach closure, and will only assist our beach cities in closing parking lots and traffic enforcement on PCH,” Villanueva said. “In regards to enforcing the beach closure, we will not be enforcing it because we are ‘Care First, Jail Last.'”
BREAKING: L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva tells me he will NOT enforce the beach closure order for 4th of July weekend. Says LASD was not consulted, and they’ll only enforce closing parking lots/traffic on PCH. Says “We are Care First, Jail Last” in shot at county. @FOXLA
— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) June 30, 2020
LA County beaches will be closed July 3 to July 6, and the order includes “all public beaches, piers, public beach parking lots, beach bike paths that traverse that sanded portion of the beach, and beach access points.”
In addition to the beach closure, the uptick in coronavirus cases prompted Gov. Gavin Newsom to close bars again in several counties, including Los Angeles, despite allowing them to open two weeks ago.
NEW: Due to the rising spread of #COVID19, CA is ordering bars to close in Fresno, Imperial, Kern, Kings, Los Angeles, San Joaquin, and Tulare, while recommending they close in Contra Costa, Riverside, Sacramento, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Stanislaus, & Ventura.
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) June 28, 2020
“Californians must remain vigilant against this virus,” Newsom said in a statement. “COVID-19 is still circulating in California, and in some parts of the state, growing stronger. That’s why it is critical we take this step to limit the spread of the virus in the counties that are seeing the biggest increases. Each of us has the power to limit the spread of this virus. Wear a face covering and keep physically distant outside the home. Don’t gather in groups, and if you are older or have a condition that puts you at higher risk of COVID-19, protect yourself by staying home.”
The Los Angeles County Department of Health announced more than 2,900 new coronavirus cases on Monday, which it says was “the single largest one-day case count since the pandemic began.”
California has dramatically increased its coronavirus testing in recent weeks, averaging roughly 50,000 tests per day across the state.
