California governor says businesses deemed 'lower risk' could reopen in 'weeks, not months'

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last updated 29 April 2020

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said Tuesday he believes the state is "weeks, not months away from making meaningful modifications" to current restrictions put in place because of the coronavirus pandemic.

There will be a four-phase plan to reopen the state, he added, but there is no timetable. The spread of the virus and health-care preparations are what "guides our decision-making and allows us to make determinations," Newsom said. "Dates don't. But data does."

California is now in phase one, meaning the state is encouraging people to wear masks and providing financial assistance to low-wage workers so they don't go to work sick, the Los Angeles Times reports. During phase two, "lower risk" businesses, like manufacturing sites and small establishments with little foot traffic, will reopen, with as many employees still working from home as possible. "We need to protect not just the business community but customers of those businesses," Newsom said. "It's one thing to open a business. But if there's no demand, it's a false promise."

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As of Tuesday evening, there are 46,163 confirmed COVID-19 cases in California and 1,862 deaths. In Los Angeles County, the death toll doubled in the last week, and Newsom warned that parts of the state with inadequate progress won't be allowed to relax their restrictions. "Politics will not drive our decision-making," he said. "Protests won't drive our decision-making. Political pressure will not drive our decision-making."

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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