Faced with dissipated children who do not follow his instructions, Gavin Newsom punches the table. The governor of California announced Thursday that he was temporarily closing all beaches in Orange County, where thousands of people had flocked to cool off last weekend despite containment orders.
This "density" of people concentrated in the same place has been "a significant concern" and "we will therefore order the total closure" of the beaches in Orange County, a republican stronghold located in the south of the state, said Governor Newsom in his daily press briefing on the health crisis.
40,000 people in Newport
Thanks to temperatures above 30 ° C, many Californians cloistered since mid-March had flocked Saturday and Sunday on beaches of Orange counties, which were not closed by local authorities, unlike those of the county from neighboring Los Angeles.
Police and lifeguards were on hand to remind visitors of the social distancing guidelines and no incidents have been reported, pleaded Orange County authorities, who had closed parking lots bordering the beaches to limit the influx of bathers. But at least 40,000 people have settled on the beach in Orange County, according to the municipality's estimates.
49,000 cases of Covid-19
This did not convince Governor Newsom, who said on Thursday that it "sounded the alarm." "People who ended up there without respecting social distancing can go home, outside Orange County, without even knowing that they have contracted the disease. And now they are putting others at risk and our health care system at risk, ”he said.
The Democratic Governor has so far taken only measures specifically targeting beaches in Orange County, noting that no notable incident has been reported in the rest of California.
One of the county officials accused the leader of "over-reacting." "Health professionals tell us about the importance of airing and sunbathing in the fight against infectious diseases, including the positive impact on mental health," wrote Donald Wagner on Twitter. According to the latest report, California has recorded some 49,000 cases of Covid-19 and nearly 2,000 deaths, including 95 in the past 24 hours.
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