California Gov. Gavin Newsom issues statewide 'stay at home' order
California governor orders entire state to stay at home except for essential needs amid coronavirus pandemic.
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LeBron James praised Los Angeles County officials Thursday after a shelter-in-place order was enacted over concerns the coronavirus would continue to spread.
Los Angeles County ordered the closure of malls, shopping centers, playgrounds and other nonessential retail businesses and prohibited gatherings of more than 10 people in indoor public and private spaces, according to the Los Angeles Daily News. Pasadena and Long Beach also followed suit.
CALIFORNIA GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM ANNOUNCES STATEWIDE CORONAVIRUS 'STAY AT HOME' ORDER
The Los Angeles Lakers star tweeted his approval of the move.
“’Stay At Home’ Bill act in place tonight at 11:59pm. Very smart move Mayor!” James said, referring to Mayor Eric Garcetti.
Branimir Kvartuc, a spokesman for Los Angeles City Councilman Joe Buscaino, told the Los Angeles Daily News that Garcetti wanted to tone down the language of the order and chose to use the phrase “safer at home” over “shelter-in-place,” which has been used in other cities.
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“This is not ‘shelter-in-place like a school shooting,” Garcetti said at a news conference. “This is ‘stay at home’ because you’re safer at home.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom later made the “stay-at-home” order statewide.
“We need to bend the curve in the state of California,” Newsom said during a news conference. “There’s a social contract here. People, I think, recognize the need to do more. They will adjust and adapt as they have.”
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In California, more than 900 people have contracted the virus and 19 have died. More than 10,000 people have been infected nationwide.
Fox News’ Louis Casiano contributed to this report.