As coronavirus cases rise, California governor says he could start reeling back some reopenings
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - As California deals with an increase in coronavirus cases, Gov. Gavin Newsom is warning he could start reeling back some of the reopenings if the virus gets out of control.
At a news conference on Monday, Newsom said tightening stay-at-home restrictions isn’t in his plans just yet. But he said his administration is prepared to do that if the coronavirus cases keep trending upward.
He fully expected to see more positive cases of coronavirus with loosened restrictions and more testing.
But Newsom said he is worried about the direction the state is going: 35 percent of all new positive cases of coronavirus in California have happened in the last two weeks – that’s nearly 47,000 new cases.
Newsom said the state is starting to see a slight uptick in positivity rate – a 16-percent increase in hospitalizations and an 11-percent increase in ICU admissions. For now, he said, the state has the capacity to handle these numbers.
"We don’t intend to do that," he said. "We don’t want to do that. But I want to make this clear: We’re prepared to."
He said that people must be "a little more thoughtful about how we go about our day-to-day lives."
California now has more than 185,000 cases and more than 5,600 people have died, according to Johns Hopkins University.
California conducted a record number of tests on Sunday: 92,000.
The state is closely monitoring 11 counties and supporting them as they navigate their larger increases in coronavirus cases. None of the 11 counties are located in the Bay Area; the two closest are San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties. The others are in central California.
Newsom said the state is still deep into the first wave of coronavirus and he reminded people there is a state order to wear masks indoors.