California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday asked Californians who are over the age of 65 or have chronic conditions to self-isolate at home as the coronavirus continues its rapid spread.
“We need to prioritize our focus,” Newsom said during an hour-long press conference in Sacramento. “We are looking at this from a very holistic perspective.”
Newsom also called on all California bars and breweries to shut their doors and restaurants to cut the number of tables in half, an unprecedented call for action designed to slow down the infection rate.
"We believe this is a nonessential function in our state," Newsom said, referring to the bars. "And we believe that is appropriate under the circumstances to move in that direction."
Newsom also said state officials were working on providing medicine, food and other supplies to the 5.3 million seniors in California, which has the third-highest number of coronavirus cases in the U.S. Washington State has 769, New York 729 and California 369. Six people have died in California.
Newsom’s call for the shutdowns was described as “guidance” rather than a legal order by the government.
Worldwide, the number of cases has increased to more than 162,000 with 6,000 deaths according to data maintained by Johns Hopkins University.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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