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During a press conference this afternoon Governor Gavin Newsom addressed the ongoing coronavirus pandemic as it relates to California. Newsom said that as of Wednesday morning, there have been 66,800 coronavirus tests conducted in the state thus far. Of those tests, 2,535 Californians have tested positive for coronavirus which is a 17 percent increase from the day before. The number of deaths due to COVID-19 is over 50 individuals.
Continuing on the severity of the shelter in place order to help slow COVID-19, Newsom announced, “Don’t think for a second that we’re a day or two away from lifting that order, we’re not, we’re not even a week or two away.”
Only yesterday President Donald Trump said he wanted everything to be back to normal in the United States by Easter, despite health experts’ warnings. Doctors, nurses and health professionals alike have all expressed the need to continue a quarantine in order to get a handle on the coronavirus.
Shelter in place was announced on March 16th to remain in effect until April 7th. It is currently unclear what will happen on April 8th as countless companies do not know what the next step should be. More than one million Californians have filed for unemployment since March 13, 2020, showing the need for businesses to reopen so that people can begin earning money again. However, until COVID-19 starts to take a down turn Newsom believes it is more important to keep everything closed and for people to remain in their homes.
As a reminder here is a list of things you can do to keep your family and yourself healthy:
- Take everyday preventive actions to stay healthy.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
- Stay home when you are sick.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
- Follow public health advice regarding school closures, avoiding crowds and other social distancing measures.