San Francisco temporarily suspended next week’s planned reopens amid a surge in coronavirus cases, while Governor Gavin Newsom urged a southern California county to reinstate orders to stay home after a surge in positive tests for COVID-19 there.
The city registered 103 new cases on Thursday, San Francisco Mayor London Breed said in a Friday announcement, affecting a number of businesses and activities including open-air bars, hair salons, beauty salons, tattoo parlors , museums, zoos and outdoor swimming.
“Our reopening process is governed by data and science,” said Breed. “COVID-19 cases are increasing across California and we are now also seeing an increase in cases in San Francisco. Our numbers are still low but increasing rapidly. While I know this pause is disappointing for residents and businesses [sic] owners, we need to temporarily delay the reopens scheduled for Monday. “
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The city initially reopened open-air restaurants and indoor retail stores on June 15, when only 20 new cases were reported, Breed said. She urged people to wear face covers, maintain social distance, and practice good hygiene.
“At our current rate, the number could quickly double,” he said. “If that continues and we don’t intervene, we will be in such a high number that our only option would be to close.”
California recorded nearly 4,900 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, Newsom said Friday. The state is monitoring 15 counties to worsen coronavirus trends, including Los Angeles County.
He specifically called Imperial County, which is located on the United States-Mexico border east of San Diego. The county has a population of 175,000 people and has seen high positive test rates: 23 percent in the past week compared to 5.3 percent in the rest of the state, he said.
In a Friday update, Newsom urged Imperial County leaders to reimpose the restrictions to combat the spread of the virus.
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“We are advising and advising them to move forward and reinstate the order to stay home, but they will move at their discretion,” he said. “If they cannot reach a consensus, I am committed to intervening, as is my role and responsibility as governor.”
Newsom said he is confident that officials will heed his call.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
