In a sweeping move on Monday, July 13, Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered every county throughout the state to shut down most interior activities as California wrestles with a new surge in coronavirus cases.
The new Executive Order shuts down indoor restaurants, movie theaters and wineries and he also ordered bars to cease all operations, indoor and outdoor, throughout the state. Restaurants will be allowed to serve takeout or to provide outdoor dining.
Retailers were not spared.
“Anchor stores in malls that have their own outdoor entrances may operate as regular retail with their outdoor entrance only. Stores entirely enclosed in the mall (or other building) can be curbside pick up only,” according to the California Department of Public Health.
The timing was somewhat ironic, as on July 8 Newsom issued a proclamation declaring July 2020, as “California for All Small Business Month.”
Newsom had previously directed 30 counties on the state’s “watch list” (due to local outbreaks) to close indoor business operations but the Governor said Monday the order will now extend to all 58 California counties.
Eighty percent of Californians will be affected by the new order, according to a slide that accompanied Gov. Newsom’s July 13 press conference.
Newsom’s statewide closure order is also applicable to a host of other indoor operations including zoos, museums, card rooms and family entertainment centers. Those establishments are still allowed to operate outdoors in most counties.
Orange County hair salons, barbershops, places of worship, offices that provide what the state considers non-critical services, and indoor malls will have to close as local governments move quickly to assist local businesses in their communities survive the new restrictions.
