Gov. Newsom says he expects Riverside County to take local action today

Governor Gavin Newsom said he expects Riverside County to take local action today.

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Brooke Federico, public information officer for Riverside County, told News Channel 3 that the county is falling under the state health officer's order for Riverside County.

Contrary to what the state's chart shows, Federico said there will not be a local order issued in Riverside County today.

Riverside County is part of 19 other counties on the state's monitoring list. These counties make up 70% of the state's population.

On Wednesday, Newsom ordered the closure of many indoor activities in those 19 counties. This means indoor operations for restaurants, wineries, movie theaters, zoos & museums, cardrooms, and family entertainment centers.

"This doesn't mean restaurants shut down. It means we're trying to take activities, as many activities as we can, these mixed activities, concentrated activities, and move them outdoors," Newsom said. The closures are expected to last three weeks.

It's tough news for the California restaurant industry, now having to close in-door seating for the second time since the start of the pandemic.

“No matter what size restaurant small or big, it’s a huge impact," owner of Trio restaurant in Palm Springs, Tony Marchese said. "Millions of dollars we’ve lost over the last few months. It’s crazy,” he added.

Newsom said the decision was made in response to spiking coronavirus cases.

A spokesperson for the Living Desert Zoo & Gardens, our local zoo, told News Channel 3 its indoor spaces have already been closed and will remain so now, so the zoo is not affected by this new order.

Additionally, Newsom urged counties on the state's coronavirus
watch list to consider cancelling all fireworks shows over the Fourth of July weekend. Two valley cities already canceled their fireworks show, but as of today, the Agua Caliente firework show is still on.

The governor asked residents to avoid crowds and not to gather with anyone not in their households.

Newsom announced the state established an enforcement strike team which will include ABC, CalOSHA, Department of Business Oversight, Department of Consumer Affairs, and the California Highway Patrol. The team will target non-compliant workplaces, aiming to get voluntary compliance.

If individual counties are falling short of enforcing requirements, they could face a loss of state funding.