California Gov. Gavin Newsom is set to announce the closure of all beaches and state parks following the crowds that gathered at beaches last weekend, particular in Orange County, multiple law enforcement agencies told NBCLA Wednesday night.
The governor is set to make the announcement Thursday.
A memo was sent by the California Chiefs Association to law enforcement agencies across the state ahead of the expected announcement, sources said. The memo detailed that the overcrowding of beaches last weekend led to the decision to close all beaches in the state and called last weekend's scenes a "violation of Governor Newsom's Shelter in Place Order."
The order was set to go into effect Friday, May 1, 2020, and there was no indication how long it would be in effect.
From Friday to Sunday, about 80,000 people crowded the sand in Newport Beach, leading to an emergency city council meeting. On Tuesday, the Newport Beach City Council voted against a proposal that would have shut down the city's beaches for the next three weekends. Newsom lashed out at the images of crowded Southern California beaches in his news conference Monday, as well.
"Those images are an example of what not to see, ... what not to do if we're going to make the meaningful progress that we've made in the last few weeks extend into the next number of weeks," Newsom said Monday.
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NBCLA reached out to the governor's office for comment and did not immediately receive a response.
