SACRAMENTO, Calif. — At noon on Monday, Governor Gavin Newsom gave an update on COVID-19 in California. You can watch the entire update here.
Newsom expressed concerns over people that flocked to the beach in Ventura and Orange Counties without respecting physical distancing.
“This virus doesn’t take weekends off,” said Newsom. "Those images are an example of what not to see."
Newsom said in a few weeks, California could show optimistic signs that the state is making enough progress to cut back on restrictions, but now is not the time to slack on social distancing.
“The only thing that will set us back is our behavior,” said Newsom.
Newsom also touched on that he empathizes with local leaders.
“I recognize your anxieties and I recognize the pressure. As a former county supervisor and former mayor, I understand those local pressures intimately,” said Newsom.
Additionally, at 12:30 p.m., a group of Californians claiming they have suffered the brunt of COVID-19's economic impacts held a Twitter town hall meeting to demand Gov. Gavin Newsom order an immediate cancellation of rent and mortgage payments for the duration of the pandemic, according to contact. The participants plan to begin a rent strike on May 1 should their demands not be met, an organizer said.
The press conferences come just after Nevada announced it is joining California, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington in the Western States Pact. Newsom said all the states share data together in real-time.
"This partnership has already become very, very meaningful," said Newsom.
Newsom said that $4.4 billion have been distributed out since March 15 in unemployment.
43,464 Californians have tested positive for COVID-19. 1,755 of those people have died. 45 people have died in the last 48 hours, according to Newsom.
On Monday, Newsom invited news outlets to a series of digital roundtables with small and large business leaders from different sectors of the state economy, as well as "customers and experts from our advisory committee."