New shutdown coming for Imperial County. Gavin Newsom says stay-at-home order must resume
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday said he is urging a return to the stay-at-home order in Imperial County, adding that he’s willing to intervene if county leaders don’t act.
The Southern California county, on the California-Mexico border and next door to Arizona, has been a hotspot for coronavirus activity for months.
“We are now in a position where we are working with county officials and advising them to pull back and once again reinstitute their stay-at-home orders,” Newsom said Friday, speaking at a Rancho Cordova tool factory.
Imperial County has experienced among the most drastic upticks in coronavirus cases across California. Public health data shows that the county has nearly 1,000 active cases and counts 73 deaths. While the state’s positive rate for coronavirus tests is 5.3% in the last 14 days, the rate has climbed to 23% in Imperial County.
The state has stepped in to help transfer patients to hospitals outside of the county because the local system can’t absorb them, Newsom said. He said he has sent 44 National Guard members for medical assistance and dozens of health officials to help contain the spread, along with 1.1 million face masks.
Newsom added that he’s awaiting a report from the Centers for Disease Control to better understand the outbreak in Imperial County and the degree to which bordering communities are contributing to the spread.
If county leaders can’t agree to resume the stay-at-home order, Newsom added that he is “committed” to stepping in himself.
“They are going to be convening their county supervisors and county leadership over the course of the next few days and making a determination to lead that effort... at a local level,” Newsom said. “We are advising and counseling them to move forward and reinstitute the stay-at-home order. If they are not able to come to some consensus, I am committed to intervening as is my role and responsibility as governor of the state of California.”
This latest announcement comes on the heels of a press talk with the nation’s leading virus expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, earlier this week. He told Sacramento reporters that he didn’t think rolling back lock-down requirements were necessary. But, he said, “it’s always a possibility.”
The governor announced a new website marketplace for manufacturers to receive personal protective equipment. Newsom told reporters Friday that this move was part of a push to help factories safely reopen.
Newsom’s press conference also included new information on the statewide coronavirus spread. In the past 24 hours, he said, 79 people have died, and nearly 5,000 have tested positive. He noted a “modest increase” in hospitalizations and intensive care unit patients statewide.
The governor added that he has tapped the brakes on guidance for reopening more sectors of California’s economy in light of the surge in coronavirus cases. Last week, Newsom issued a mandatory order that Californians wear face masks. But in Thursday’s press conference, he acknowledged that it’s still under discussion whether the order will apply to students when schools reopen.
Near the end of the conference, Newsom went on at length about the need to continue to socially distance and wear masks, saying Californians should not let down their guard — especially as the 4th of July nears.
He said Californians, tired of limiting family contact, might say “’Boy, we miss Uncle John, and why don’t we bring Uncle John over for a festive barbecue?’ Well, you may be putting Uncle John’s life at risk if you do that like you used to do that.”
He also warned that higher positivity rates and hospitalizations mean that more deaths will follow.
“Mark my words... you will see with the death rates, they are lagging,” he said.
This story was originally published June 26, 2020 at 1:57 PM with the headline "New shutdown coming for Imperial County. Gavin Newsom says stay-at-home order must resume."