California Announces Severe Restrictions on Events, Gatherings | Eastern North Carolina Now

Publisher's note: This informational nugget was sent to me by Ben Shapiro, who represents the Daily Wire, and since this is one of the most topical news events, it should be published on BCN.

The author of this post is James Barrett.

    On Wednesday evening, California officials announced severe restrictions on events and gatherings, including calling for the cancellation or postponement of all events involving more than 250 people and specifying how smaller events should be managed. The move comes as San Francisco and counties in Washington and Oregon have imposed similar restrictions on gatherings.

    California Governor Gavin Newsom announced the state's actions in a press release Wednesday evening.

    "Governor Gavin Newsom announced that California public health officials this evening issued an updated policy on gatherings to protect public health and slow the spread of COVID-19," the press release reads. "The state's public health experts have determined that gatherings should be postponed or canceled across the state until at least the end of March. Non-essential gatherings must be limited to no more than 250 people, while smaller events can proceed only if the organizers can implement social distancing of 6 feet per person."

    "Gatherings of individuals who are at higher risk for severe illness for COVID-19 should be limited to no more than 10 people, while also following social distancing guidelines," the new restrictions specify.

    "Changing our actions for a short period of time will save the life of one or more people you know," Newsom said in a statement included in the release. "That's the choice before us. Each of us has extraordinary power to slow the spread of this disease. Not holding that concert or community event can have cascading effects - saving dozens of lives and preserving critical health care resources that your family may need a month from now. The people in our lives who are most at risk - seniors and those with underlying health conditions - are depending on all of us to make the right choice."