Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said Monday that he refuses to enforce a directive to close beaches for July 4th weekend.
In a statement to Fox Los Angeles reporter Bill Melugin, Villanueva revealed that his office was not consulted regarding the decision. His officers will only enforce the closing parking lots, the sheriff said.
Villanueva told Melugin: “We were not consulted on the beach closure, and will only assist our beach cities in closing parking lots and traffic enforcement on PCH. In regards to enforcing the beach closure, we will not be enforcing it because we are “Care First, Jail Last.”
Earlier Monday, Los Angeles County’s public health department announced the beach closure order, citing the surge in Chinese coronavirus cases. Additionally, public health officials said fireworks will be banned.
A medical worker calls into the War Room to explain how face masks should not be worn for that long and what the consequences are.
The announcement coincided with L.A. County confirming an additional 2,900 virus cases. California has a total of nearly 217,000 cases and around 6,000 deaths. Officials said:
Data show increases in people testing positive for the virus and increases in hospitalizations as a result. Projections by the Department of Health Services show a marked increase in hospitalizations in the coming weeks, which could cause a surge in our healthcare system.
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