Newsom works to clarify order
Governor urges all to stay home as state-local disparities are addressed
Newsom also said his administration is working to clear up confusion over whether his historic executive order issued Thursday conflicted with more stringent mandatory restrictions by some California counties and cities. Negotiations with local governments are underway to sort through the “deeply complex” issues involved, he said.
Newsom’s plea for residents to avoid unnecessary social contact comes after scattered reports across the state that some people have been flocking to the coast, gathering with friends or failing to keep proper social distance from others.
The governor stressed that even those who don’t show any symptoms of COVID-19, including young adults who appear to be less likely to become gravely ill if they do contract it, need to cooperate for the good of others in their communities.
“Be a good neighbor. Be a good citizen. Those young people that are still out there on the beaches thinking this is a party time — grow up,” Newsom said during a news conference on Facebook and Twitter on Saturday afternoon. “It’s time to wake up, time to recognize it’s not just about the old folks. It’s about your impact on their lives. Don’t be selfish, recognize you have a responsibility to meet this moment.”
The governor’s stay-at-home order will remain in effect until “further notice” and could be changed as conditions warrant, according to a statement released by the governor’s office. Issued under broad powers granted to the governor under the state’s Emergency Services Act, Newsom’s executive order is enforceable by law.
Anyone who violates the order could be charged with a misdemeanor, but Newsom said he did not believe that would be necessary because social pressures to adhere to the directive have been largely successful.
The Newsom administration Friday night released a 14-page report explaining which businesses and workers are considered essential and exempt from the stay-at-home order, as well as more detail about personal activities that are allowed or prohibited.
Businesses deemed essential and remaining open include gas stations, pharmacies, grocery stores, farmers markets, food banks, convenience stores, takeout and delivery restaurants, banks and laundromats. Those that must close include dine-in-only restaurants, movie theaters and entertainment venues, gyms and fitness studios, and hair and nail salons.
Walking the dog and going on hikes are allowed, but camping at state parks is not. Going to the doctor and pharmacy is allowed, but visiting relatives in the hospital or nursing home is not — with some exceptions, such as when a relative is near death.
Day-care centers and the small number of schools still operating in the state, including those that serve the children of healthcare workers and students with special needs, also are considered essential services and can remain open, said Brian Ferguson, spokesman for the governor’s Office of Emergency Services.
Californians “should at all times practice social distancing,” keeping at least six feet away from others when performing necessary activities, the administration directive states.
“If you need to go outside to get some exercise, do that, but don’t do that in a group setting,” Newsom said Saturday. “If you see a busy street, don’t run down that street. Again, use common sense. You want to take a walk with your dog, take a walk with your dog — just don’t do it with five or six neighbors.”
Before the governor’s order was put in place late Thursday, Newsom had issued only recommendations over the last week asking all residents to practice social distancing, those 65 and older to remain at home, and bars, restaurant dining rooms and other types of businesses to shutter — demonstrating a deliberately light touch that some described as the governor easing Californians into a new way of life in preparation for more severe restrictions.
At the same time, dozens of counties inundated with COVID-19 cases went a step further and adopted mandatory requirements to slow the spread of the coronavirus within their jurisdictions.
The Newsom administration attempted to clarify whether the governor’s statewide order superseded those of local governments.
“This is a statewide order. Depending on the conditions in their area, local officials may enforce stricter public health orders. But they may not loosen the state’s order,” state health officials said in an online statement released late Friday night.
But that statement was changed Saturday, saying only, “This is a statewide order.”
That change promises to only add to the confusion about which restrictions take precedence.
James Williams, the Santa Clara County counsel, said the county’s restrictions will remain in place, no matter what Newsom’s state mandate says. Santa Clara County has been one of the hardest hit with coronavirus cases in the state.
The state’s order considers some entertainment industry projects and general construction projects to be essential and therefore exempt from its restrictions. Santa Clara County does not exempt entertainment projects in its own stay-at-home order — only construction projects related to housing, infrastructure, healthcare and public works are exempt, Williams said.
“We’re very clear about our position,” Williams said Friday night. “We just had a 34% increase in cases between yesterday and today.”
In Orange County, confusion over the regulations has been so widespread — with some residents questioning whether they’re permitted to even go outside — that the county has staffed a hotline to respond to residents’ queries.
On Tuesday, the county’s healthcare agency first issued an order prohibiting public and private gatherings of any size, including at places of business, outside a single household. Some residents interpreted it to mean that Orange County was implementing a lockdown similar to the stringent stay-at-home orders issued by several San Francisco Bay Area counties.
County officials clarified the order that night, noting that it was not a lockdown and that some businesses should remain open. They followed up by issuing an amended order a day later that walked back the ban on gatherings.
On Thursday, the situation changed again when Newsom ordered all Californians to stay at home, marking the first mandatory restrictions placed on the lives of all 40 million residents in the state.
In enforcing the governor’s order, Orange County Sheriff’s Department officials have encouraged deputies to take an educational approach — reminding people of the restrictions — before issuing citations, said Carrie Braun, a spokeswoman for the Sheriff’s Department.
“We’re seeing all of this unfold in real time, but that’s not necessarily the case for the rest of the community,” she said.
Meanwhile, in Modoc County in the northeast corner of California, one of the most sparsely populated areas of the state, Sheriff Tex Dowdy said he was shocked by Newsom’s stay-at-home order and appeared defiant, saying it was unnecessary in a county without a single confirmed coronavirus case.
“We are standing behind our current recommendations of social distancing and simple measures like washing your hands to prevent the spread of COVID-19,” Dowdy said in a statement posted on the sheriff’s website.
Barbara Ferrer, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, said the county’s directive and Newsom’s order are “generally in agreement” on which businesses and activities are considered essential.
“Where there are nuances, we’re working with the governor’s office for clarification and we hope to be able to rapidly reconcile any elements that are unclear,” Ferrer said Friday. “This may include minor revisions in the county health officer’s order in the days ahead.”
The California Chamber of Commerce on Saturday praised Newsom for clarifying what the state considers essential businesses, while also asking for a uniform, statewide policy on restrictions to replace the patchwork of stricter measures in some counties.
“We urge all local officials to follow the lead of the Newsom Administration by conforming their directives to these guidelines. A large number of California businesses operate in many different counties or span the entire state so the need for consistency in supply chain operations is critical,” the group said in a statement.
