briefing noting the Memorial Day weekend brought spectacular weather and it was concerning to see so many people not practicing social distancing and wearing protective face masks. He stated he hopes we do not develop “ amnesia, as we open the economy and people increasingly return to normal activities. We must remember we are fast approaching at the national level 100,000 lives lost and in California 19 who died in just the past 24 hours.” The Governor noted in just the last 24 hours, more than 2,000 more people tested positive in California and as the state continues to ramp up the testing, we will see those numbers increase, but the positivity rate is the key to monitoring how the state is doing. The good news is the positivity rate is stable, but, he reminded the audience, this is not the time to relax but rather it is critical Californians remain vigilant against the spread of this virulent disease, which is still taking lives every day. “ Now our individual role is important, as we are exposed to people who have not been within our family circle. We must make sure we wear appropriate PPE and maintain physical distancing. We are not out of the woods yet. I’ve heard people say what about a second wave? I am telling you the second wave is months away. The reality is we are not out of the first wave.” The Governor cited statistics to make his point regarding the danger of the virus, noting 19.5% of those who test positive are over the age of 65, yet 79.2% of deaths due to COVID-19 are among that age group. He urged the audience to remember their responsibility to help protect the most vulnerable populations, which includes senior citizens. He noted he understands peoples’ desires to be out in the recreational areas, the beaches, and to congregate with people they have missed, but again reminded the audience there is still danger of community spread, as people return to more normal activities.
New Guidelines
The Governor stated the Administration is working with county leaders and businesses and “making decisions in real-time, not waiting for noon press conferences.” He stated guidelines were pushed out this past weekend to allow churches and faith-based organizations to congregate and to allow in-store shopping for retail (read more here). The Governor reiterated some of the guidelines and modifications, noting places of worship are limited to only 25% of membership or 100 congregants with significant modifications in order to protect public health. He noted he understands some people believe this is too much, too fast and others believe the guidelines do no go far enough. He shared with the audience the guidelines are published on the COVID-19 webpage at COVID-19.ca.gov (read more here). The Governor stated the public can expect more directives and more guidelines likely later this week and into the coming weekend. He reminded the audience this is “a dynamic and iterative process. It is open to argument. We are interested in evidence and data.” The Governor said it is important to see how the phase-in works and if the approaches to the limits the state has set are working to keep people safe. He reminded everyone it is incumbent upon all Californians to be diligent in using PPE and maintaining social distancing to see if we are able to contain the virus and keep our positivity rate flat at 4.2 over seven days and 4.1 over 14 days. He told the audience California is one of only a few western states to allow the gathering of faith-based organizations, and California continues to work with the other western state partners regarding best practices. This is, he noted, “not about being ideological, but rather about using data to make modifications as appropriate.”
Click here for the Governor's full statement.