Newsom And Fauci Call For Social Responsibility / Governor Calls Emergency To Take From Rainy Day Fund / Hearing More Fireworks Lately? You’re Not Alone.
Newsom And Fauci Ask Californians To Be Socially Responsible
As Bay Area cities continue to ease social distancing measures, Governor Gavin Newsom sobered the mood with the latest numbers — more than 7,000 new COVID-19 cases in 24 hours. 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 that 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 in terms of advancing into 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 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. 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 that we’re all in this together. It’s not, ‘I’m taking care of myself. I don’t care about you. But what you do will have an impact on others. And Californians have risen to the occasion on social issues so much in the past, you’ve been the leaders 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 begin re-opening other businesses like nail salons and movie theaters within the next few weeks.
Governor Calls Emergency To Take From Rainy Day Fund
Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a budget emergency that will allow California to take billions from a reserve account to help plug a large deficit brought on by the coronavirus. The budget proposes taking roughly $8 billion from the state's “rainy day" fund in the budget year that starts July 1. That's about half of what's in the fund. Newsom needed to declare an emergency to allow him to legally tap that money. The state Senate is set to vote on the budget later today, and the Assembly will vote tomorrow.
Hearing More Fireworks Lately? You’re Not Alone
A group of about 50 farm workers at a California pistachio farm has gone on strike. They’re demanding free face coverings, gloves, and information from the farm's owner. A United Farm Workers official said workers began picketing Thursday outside Primex Farms in the central California city of Wasco after they said they heard from a media report that dozens of their coworkers tested positive for the coronavirus. The workers' demands also include better sanitation measures and more information from the farm. It grows pistachio nuts, other nuts, and dried fruits. Primex said it was preparing a statement.
