Governor Gavin Newsom held his daily briefing to provide an update regarding the six critical indicators that will be considered before modifying the statewide Stay-At-Home Order. As part of this update, he unveiled four “stages” for reopening California.
On reopening in general, Newsom stated, “Politics will not drive our decision-making; protests will not drive our decision-making; political pressure will not drive our decision-making,” but “science, data, and public health” will be the main factors. Further, he said, “We believe we are weeks, not months, away from making meaningful modifications to the Stay-At-Home Order, based upon the data and indicators.”
In terms of the four stages, Newsom said we’re currently in Stage 1, which he described largely as a planning phase. Stage 2, Newsom said, would create opportunities for lower-risk sectors to adapt and reopen. Stage 2 would also allow schools and childcare facilities to reopen with adaptations. Regarding schools specifically, Newsom said California is considering bringing back schools in late July or early August to make up for learning lost from the coronavirus disruptions this academic year. Churches and personal services such as gyms, spas, and salons are in the third stage. The fourth stage would mark the end of the stay-at-home order and allow for reopening of the highest risk parts of the economy such as concerts, convention centers, and live audience sports. In terms of timing, Newsom conveyed, Stage 2 is in weeks, not months. Stage 3 and 4 is in months, not weeks.
Consistent with past briefings, Newsom provided the latest COVID-19 hospitalization and intensive care unit (ICU) patient figures. He reported that the hospitalization rates increased by 2.5 percent from the previous day. The number of coronavirus patients in ICU beds is stabilizing. Specifically, there are 3,455 hospitalization cases and of those 1,181 are ICU cases.
During the Q&A portion of the briefing, Newsom was asked to provide more information regarding reopening schools early. His response: “There’s been a learning loss, and you can either roll over or do something about it, which is why we’re considering moving up the school year to start in July/August. These are deep conversations and we’ll have more clarity in the next few weeks about that.”
Regarding questions on California’s COVID-19 modeling, Newsom said, “We stand firm in our decision to have done many of the things we’ve done over the past weeks, but we continue to look at our actual data points to guide our decisions as we move forward.”
On the Legislature and the need for remote voting, Newsom largely deferred to the “independent branch of government.” He said, “they’ll make their own decisions.“
The Governor’s Press Office has also announced that later this afternoon, Newsom will launch the Economic Recovery & Reinvention Listening Tour. He will host digital conversations with workers, small businesses and employers focused on the crisis’ impact on the retail sector and how they are dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, how they are adapting their businesses in the weeks and months ahead, and what opportunities they see to reinvent their business, industries, consumer habits, and our state’s economy. Newsom will be hosting these conversations over the next few weeks.
Late Monday, the Department of Finance (DOF) sent a letter to lawmakers regarding spending of the Disaster Response-Emergency Operations Account (DREOA) funds and the nearly $1 billion mask deal. The letter states, “The first shipment of medical-grade masks is under way.” Once California receives the masks, it will need to pay the next installment of $104.7 million by the end of the week, according to the letter. A copy of the DOF letter can be found here.
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced the most recent statistics on COVID-19. There are a total of 43,464 confirmed positive cases and 1,755 deaths in California. As of April 26th, more than 553,400 tests have been conducted in California and reported to the California Department of Public Health. Also, as of April 26th, local health departments have reported 4,709 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 24 deaths statewide. More information regarding the most recent COVID-19 statistics can be found here.
Legislative Activity
Today, on the legislative front, the Assembly has tentatively started scheduling policy committee hearings starting the week of May 4th. A copy of the Tentative Committee Schedule for May 2020 has been released and it is sparse.
Senate President pro Tempore Atkins released an update this afternoon stating that the Senate is expected to return from recess on Monday, May 11, 2020. Additionally, the press release stated, “The Senate’s final return date is subject to ongoing information and guidance from health officials and the Senate’s priority remains returning in a way that does not endanger the health of the public, Senators, or staff. Details on physical distancing, remote participation, and other necessary public health precautions will be announced prior to the Senate’s return.”
The https://www.covid19.ca.gov/ website is being updated continuously.