California Governor Gavin Newsom held a press briefing Wednesday afternoon announcing restrictions for counties on the states COVID-19 monitoring list.
Effective immediately, California Public Health is requiring counties that have been on the County Monitoring List for at least 3 days to move certain sectors outdoors or close.
Nineteen counties are on that list, including Santa Barbara County. Other counties include Contra Costa, Fresno, Glenn, Imperial, Kern, Kings, Los Angeles, Merced, Orange, Riverside, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Joaquin, Santa Clara, Solano, Stanislaus, Tulare, and Ventura.
Before making the announcement, Gov. Newsom said, "the coronavirus case increase is at a rate that is particularly concerning."
The specific sectors that are being required to close indoor activities include:
- restaurants
- wineries and tasting rooms
- movie theaters
- family entertainment centers
- zoos and museums
- cardrooms
These specific businesses have the option to move their operations outdoors, if this is not possible then they must close. Bars are required to close operations completely.
Los Angeles and Ventura County have made the decision to close their beaches. Gov. Newsom says all parking facilities at state beaches in SoCal and Bay Area will be closed Fourth of July weekend.
Gov. Newsom also recommends that firework shows in communities on the state's watch list should be canceled.
Gov. Newsom says California is stepping up the enforcement of the mask mandate and COVID-19 guidelines with a multi-agency strike force: Alcohol Beverage Control, CalOSHA, Dept of Business Oversight, CHP, Consumer Affairs. He says the state will target businesses who redundantly violate rules.
California's COVID-19 positivity rate has crept up to 6% in the last two weeks, a key indicator of community spread, according to Gov. Newsom.
You can find the most recent California coronavirus numbers at this website.
