Southern Californians return to beaches ahead of long pandemic summer
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[May 14, 2020]
By Alan Devall and Rollo Ross
MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. (Reuters) - Los
Angeles beaches reopened on Wednesday after weeks of coronavirus
closure, drawing Californians out for a glimpse of the sun one day after
learning that sweeping stay-at-home orders could remain in place all
summer.
The new rules imposed by county health officials allow residents back to
the shore as long as they wear masks when not in the water and stay
"active" by surfing, swimming or running. Sitting on the sand is still
prohibited.
"I found it really good. People are paying attention, nobody's really
lounging out there because otherwise (Governor Gavin) Newsom is going to
have a cow, because the rule is just to keep moving," said Caron Carus
at Manhattan Beach, southwest of Los Angeles.
The closure of California's beaches by Newsom or local officials has
been a point of contention as U.S. states slowly lift unprecedented
clampdowns imposed on residents and businesses in March to control the
spread of the virus.
On Wednesday the National Park Service announced limited access to Grand
Canyon and Yellowstone national parks, which were both closed due to the
coronavirus outbreak.
Los Angeles County Health Director Barbara Ferrer said on Tuesday that
stay-at-home rules for some 10 million residents, including the city of
Los Angeles, would likely remain in force through the summer, although
some restrictions would be eased.
Many state governors, concerned about the economic fallout from
prolonged lockdowns, have said they would lift restrictions carefully
and gradually, requiring businesses to maintain physical distance from
customers and clean surfaces frequently.
GOVERNORS SEEK HELP
So far 16 California counties have been granted permission by the state
to loosen guidelines, allowing the return of sit-down dining in
restaurants and destination retail, although with social distancing
modifications.
Tesla Inc <TSLA.O> reached a deal with local officials to resume
production at its electric vehicle assembly plant in the Northern
California city of Fremont as early as Monday. CEO Elon Musk had vowed
to open the plant in defiance of the restrictions.
But California's state university system, the largest in the United
States, on Tuesday cancelled classes on campus for the fall semester and
moved instruction online because of the coronavirus.
Newsom, due to release a dramatically revised state budget on Thursday,
said the pandemic could make California's yearly fire season even more
challenging, citing the danger of housing evacuees together in shelters.
The National Governors Association on Wednesday urged lawmakers in
Washington, D.C., to put aside partisan bickering and deliver urgent
relief to cities and states facing potential economic ruin.
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Surfers walk on the beach on the first day of the opening of LA
County beaches, as the global outbreak of the coronavirus disease
(COVID-19) continues, in Santa Monica, California, U.S., May 13,
2020. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson - RC2RNG9W1MNA
"This is not a red state and blue state crisis ... It does not
attack Democrats or Republicans. It attacks Americans," the
association's chair, Maryland's Larry Hogan, a Republican, and its
vice chair, New York's Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, wrote in a
statement, citing the colors associated with their respective
parties.
WASHINGTON LAWMAKERS DEBATE RELIEF
The plea followed the unveiling on Tuesday of a $3 trillion-plus
coronavirus relief package by Democrats in the U.S. House of
Representatives. The proposal would provide funding for states,
businesses and families hit by a pandemic that has infected nearly
1.4 million people in the United States and killed more than 82,000.
Republicans in Congress want to hold off on new coronavirus relief
until an assessment of the impact of nearly $3 trillion in
assistance that Congress allocated since early March.
Calling it "dead on arrival," President Donald Trump on Wednesday
said the Democratic proposal had no chance of becoming law.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the U.S. response had been
"particularly swift and forceful," but called for additional
spending to mitigate the effects of lockdowns that have shuttered
businesses and forced tens of millions of Americans out of work.
New Jersey and Iowa announced tentative steps to resurrect commerce
while Washington, D.C., extended its stay-at-home order through June
8.
Wisconsin's Supreme Court rejected Governor Tony Evers' extension of
a stay-at-home order, siding with the Republican state legislature.
The decision requires him to work with the legislature on how the
state should handle the outbreak.
In Michigan, activists were expected to protest in the state capital
of Lansing on Thursday against Democratic Governor Gretchen
Whitmer's stay-at-home orders, prompting fears some might again
bring weapons inside the capitol building.
Whitmer recently extended the order, one of the strictest in the
nation, until at least May 28.
Hundreds of demonstrators gathered on April 30, and some protesters
with guns — which are allowed in the Michigan statehouse — went to
the Senate gallery.
(Reporting by Maria Caspani in New York, Doina Chiacu and Makini
Brice in Washington, Rajesh Kumar Singh in Chicago, Brad Brooks in
Austin, Texas, David Schwartz in Phoenix and Sharon Bernstein in
Sacramento; Writing by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Howard Goller and
Cynthia Osterman)
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