California Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday ordered the closure of indoor businesses across the state, including restaurants, bars, wineries, movie theaters, zoos and museums as coronavirus cases continue to surge.
Newsom’s announcement comes as California reported 8,460 new cases of COVID-19, according to July 11 data from the state’s health department. The state now has a total of 320,804 positive cases, and 1,833 of the patients required intensive care. There have been a total of 7,017 deaths in California so far.
Newsom also imposed more stringent restrictions in 30 counties, including Los Angeles, Napa, Orange, Riverside, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Diego and Ventura. In those counties, gyms, places of worship, non-critical offices, personal care services, hair salons, barbershops and malls must close all indoor operations.
Newsom said in his Monday afternoon press conference that residents of the nation’s most populous state should remember that the coronavirus will not be going away until there is a vaccine or effective therapy.
“This virus is not going away anytime soon,” he said. “I hope all of us recognize that if we were still connected to some notion that somehow when it gets warm it’s going to go away or somehow it’s going to take summer months or weekends off, this virus has done neither.”
Also Monday, California’s two largest school districts in Los Angeles and San Diego counties announced they will offer online classes when the school year starts this fall. In a joint statement, the districts said they will plan for in-person learning when health conditions allow.
Across the country, there is a concern that younger people are not getting the message about the severity of the pandemic.
In Texas, for instance, one doctor described a 30-year-old patient’s last words after attending a so-called “COVID” party.
“‘I think I made a mistake, I thought this was a hoax, but it’s not,'” Dr. Jane Appleby told CBS News.
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