“We need to start opening up and I can’t think of a better way than to be out in the sun.”
We all remember those images of Florida beaches that were packed with people even as the state was starting to issue stay-at-home orders last month.
Last night Florida reported that the state has 4,246 active cases of coronavirus.
There will be many more reported tonight.
This is a photo of New Smyrna Beach this afternoon.
Why are there people there?
Because @GovRonDeSantis still won’t shut down the state.
Any questions? pic.twitter.com/4Ncdni9bMP
Andrew Weinstein (@Weinsteinlaw) March 29, 2020
Something similar happened in California over the weekend and it has created a battle between local government and the governor. Specifically, it happened in Orange County not far from my house. We had a very warm weekend and this is what Newport Beach looked like.
Photo taken from the Newport Beach Pier on 4/25/20 with a 300mm lens at 3:30 pm. Photo by: Mindy Schauer/scng #NewportBeach#coronavirus#beachcrowds@ocregisterpic.twitter.com/x7HANtktFV
— Mindy Schauer (@themindyschauer) April 26, 2020
Photos like that ricocheted around the internet and caused some people to worry this would cause the virus to spread.
This is the scene in Newport Beach, CA as the #COVID19 death toll surges in Southern California pic.twitter.com/pAnvYoalHI
— Peter Miller (@peter_miller) April 26, 2020
In response to those images Gov. Newsom to make a lengthy statement Monday criticizing beach goers, specifically those in Orange County and Ventura County. The video of his statement is below but he said in part, “I want to just confront the topic that is top of mind and those are the images we saw over the weekend, the images down in Orange County and Ventura County on our beaches,” he said. He continued, “Those images are an example of what not to see, people, what not to do if we’re going to make the meaningful progress that we’ve made in the last few weeks extend into the next number of weeks.
