As Bay Area cities are continuing to ease social distancing measures, Governor Gavin Newsom and Dr. Anthony Fauci warn Californians to remain cautious.
During a news conference Thursday, Governor Newsom warned that California is still experiencing record-breaking numbers of new cases of Coronavirus each day.
“To the extent we do not see progress being made, and we’re not advancing the cause of public health and public safety, then we certainly reserve the right to put a pause on the subsequent phase.”
California has seen a 29% increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations over the past 14 days and nearly a 20% increase in virus patients being treated in ICUs.
The governor pointed out that the mid-March stay -at home order significantly slowed the spread of cases.
And in an appearance on Wednesday with the Sacramento press club, Dr. Anthony Fauci, lead member of the White House Coronavirus task force, praised Governor Newsom’s response to COVID:
“I think that from an administrative standpoint, you have a good handle on what things to do."
Dr. Fauci warned that too many people view decisions to ease restrictions as a green light to return to normal life:
“We’ve got to get the population to realize we’re all in this together. It is not, ‘I’m taking care of myself, I don’t really care about you.’ But what you do will have an impact on others. And Californians have risen to the occasion on social issues so well in the past. You’ve been the leader in the country on those things. This is an issue that really has social responsibility associated with it.”
As of Thursday, there are no changes to plans in local cities to re-open non-essential businesses like nail salons and movie theaters within the next few weeks.
