Bipartisan group of California state lawmakers call on Newsom to declare restaurants 'essential' during pandemic
Newsom ordered 5,000 body bags and 60 refrigerator trucks for standby
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A group of 11 California state senators sent a letter petitioning Gov. Gavin Newsom to retitle restaurants as “essential" businesses as restaurateurs struggle amid spiking coronavirus cases.
“We ask that you immediately reclassify the restaurant industry as critical infrastructure before more damage is done,” the letter sent to the governor Friday said. “As it is becoming obvious to Californians, these essential businesses do more than simply provide a place to eat. Restaurants are active participants in local neighborhoods, providing meals to senior citizens and working with food banks to feed families struggling to put food on their tables.”
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Of the 11 state senators to sign the letter, two Democrats crossed party lines to urge the governor, along with nine Republicans, to reclassify the restaurant industry statewide.
“We urge you, in the strongest possible terms, to reclassify restaurants as essential businesses and adopt the industry’s protocols that would allow restaurants to operate safely,” the letter continues. “The future of thousands of restaurants, their employees and the unique character of our local communities are dependent on the survival of this industry.”
Fox News could not immediately reach the governor’s office for comment, but in a press conference Monday he urged Congress to step up and assist small businesses as states reel from the pandemic.
“We need the federal government to recognize that they are not doing their job at the scale needed,” Newsom said Monday, adding that “California is not unique” in its COVID relief needs.
“This is the third wave we do not anticipate a fourth,” he said, promising the “vaccine is on the way.”
California reported more than 32,000 new cases Tuesday, totaling 1,617,370 cases since the beginning of the pandemic, resulting in the death of 21,188 people from the virus.
The recent spikes have prompted the governor to order 5,000 additional body bags with 60 53-foot refrigerators on standby around the state.
“We're going through perhaps the most intense and urgent moment since the beginning of this pandemic," Newsom said Tuesday from an LA Hospital, reported ABC 7.
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California has seen a 68% increase in the number of cases in the last two weeks, but with the first 33,000 rounds of vaccines hitting the state Monday, the governor said he was “optimistic.”
An additional 327,000 vaccines should arrive this week.