California said on Monday that it is withdrawing a regional order that asked residents to stay at home, except for “essential activities”, as the state cited “positive signs” about the spread of COVID-19.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, has long been one of the most aggressive state executives in restricting the pandemic. He imposed the first state strike in March. Newsom instituted this most recent regional home stay request in early December, before extending it in late December.
“California is slowly starting to emerge from the most dangerous wave in this pandemic, which is the light at the end of the tunnel that we expected,” said State Secretary for Health and Human Services, Mark Ghaly, in a statement. “Seven weeks ago, our hospitals and frontline health workers were pushed to the limit, but Californians heard the urgent message to stay home when possible and our increase after the December vacation did not overload the health care system to the degree that we feared. “
This Friday, May 22, 2020, photo archive, the Governor of California, Gavin Newsom, speaks during a news conference at the Veterans Home of California in Yountville, California. since December. (AP Photo / Eric Risberg, Pool, File)
FOX 5 reported on Monday that Newsom should suspend the request to stay at home.
CALIFORNIA NEWSOM FIRE CAMPAIGN NEAR THE THRESHOLD REQUIRED FOR BALLOT
According to a statement from the California Department of Public Health, “almost all” regions that were previously on an order to stay at home will return to the state’s tier system for coronavirus restrictions in the more severe “purple” tier. At this level, “most internal businesses are closed”, but places of worship and many external businesses can be opened with modifications.
Hair salons, tattoo parlors, nail salons and other similar places can also open with modifications to the purple layer.
The shift comes at a time when the United States plans to increase its distribution of vaccines with the goal of potentially returning the country to normal by the end of this year. Meanwhile, there is a threat of new strains of coronavirus, which may be more transmissible.
“Californians heard the urgent message to stay home as much as possible and accepted the challenge of slowing down the increase and saving lives,” said Tomas Aragon, director of the California Department of Public Health. “Together, we changed our activities knowing that our short-term sacrifices would lead to long-term gains. COVID-19 is still here and still deadly, so our work is not over, but it is important to recognize that our collective actions saved lives and we are turning a critical corner. “
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPLICATION
Newsom was highly criticized for his rigorous treatment of the pandemic and contributed significantly to efforts to trigger a revocation election. The recall effort is approaching the number of signatures it will need to gather to force a revocation election, which could be the best hope for Republicans to win a state election in the deep blue state.
“It is gaining momentum. We are receiving petitions not only from Republicans, but also from Democrats and not dependents,” John Cox, Newsom’s Republican opponent in 2018, told Fox News last week, who recently launched an exploratory committee to challenge the governor in 2022. “It just went on for a long time – the bad management that accompanied this pandemic.”
Newsom and California have also been the target of lawsuits by business owners and parents over the closure of businesses and personal dinners in the state.
David Aaro and Audrey Conklin of Fox News contributed to this report.