SAN DIEGO, Calif. (KCRA) – Governor Gavin Newsom is doubling down on regulations after some California beaches were overrun with people Saturday.
During Monday’s coronavirus briefing, Governor Newsom praised beaches such as Pacific Beach in San Diego where people were observing social distancing and following the new regulations.
Early Monday morning, people were swimming and surfing while others were walking along the shore.
It was the first morning in many weeks that city beaches were open after being shuttered as part of the public health order due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Newsom’s comments come after thousands of beachgoers descended on the coast in Orange and Ventura Counties despite his pleas last week to avoid the temptation of doing so during the warm weekend.
Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday criticized Californians who defied the statewide stay-at-home order and flocked to beaches this past weekend, saying that ignoring restrictions could prolong the spread of the coronavirus in the state.
“We have to manage risks,” Newsom said. “We have to manage and augment our behavior and that is why I cannot impress upon you more to those Californians watching that we can’t see the images that we saw over the weekend particularly on Saturday at Newport Beach and elsewhere in the state of California.”
Newsom vowed to increase statewide enforcement of the stay-at-home order if necessary.
As of April 27th, stopping, sitting, or lying down on beaches and shorelines is not permitted. Gatherings and non-physical distancing activities are also not allowed.
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