California to release plan for lifting coronavirus restrictions

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said Monday that he would release his plan for loosening some restrictions put in place to stop the spread of the coronavirus at a press conference on Tuesday.

During his Monday afternoon press conference, Newsom said that a detailed plan for an “incremental release of the stay-at-home orders” that uses “science to guide our decisionmaking and not political pressure” would be released the next day, according to The Associated Press.

No other information about the plan was immediately available, according to the AP.

“I have all the confidence in the world moving forward that we will maintain that collaborative spirit in terms of the decisionmaking that we make here within the state of California as it relates to a road map for recovery,” the governor said, according to the news service.

Newsom’s statement comes just hours after he joined a statement with the governors of Oregon and Washington pledging to release coordinated plans for the three states to reopen their economies once it is safe to do so.

“COVID-19 has preyed upon our interconnectedness. In the coming weeks, the West Coast will flip the script on COVID-19 – with our states acting in close coordination and collaboration to ensure the virus can never spread wildly in our communities,” Newsom, along with Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D) and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D), said Monday.

“COVID-19 doesn’t follow state or national boundaries,” they continued. “It will take every level of government, working together, and a full picture of what’s happening on the ground.”

California has reported more than 21,000 cases of the virus as of Monday, but saw the pace of new infections slow over the weekend. 651 people have died from the coronavirus in the state.