Governor Gavin Newsom said the state is issuing a “hard close” of beaches in Orange County during the coronavirus pandemic.
California Governor Gavin Newsom announced Thursday that beaches in Southern California’s Orange County are being ordered closed. Despite the state’s stay-at-home order, tens of thousands of people flocked to some Orange County beaches over the weekend as a heat wave hit the West Coast.
“We’re going to do a hard close in that part of the state, just in the Orange County area,” Newsom said at his daily coronavirus press briefing Thursday. Newsom said the state is “working with the county” to implement the closure.
Newport Beach saw some 80,000 visitors over the weekend. Images of the crowds were met with criticism from Newsom who said earlier this week that he was in contact with local officials. The Newport Beach City Council met Tuesday to consider a proposal to close the beaches for the next three weekends, but it was rejected.
