LOS ANGELES โ Some of Southern Californiaโs most iconic destinations were deserted Monday. There were no tourists trying to fit their palms into Marilyn Monroeโs handprints at the TCL Chinese Theatre, no shoppers on Beverly Hillsโ Rodeo Drive and shockingly few cars on LAโs famously gridlocked freeways.
Gavin Newsom on Thursday became the first governor in the nation to order nearly all state residents to stay at home and most retail businesses to close their doors to stem the spread of COVID-19.
Under Newsomโs order, only โessentialโ services should remain open, including grocery stores, gas stations, pharmacies, banks, certain state and local government functions โ and, yes, cannabis retailers.
Newsom doubled down on his order Monday, ordering some state park parking lots to close after stir-crazy Californians thronged to parks, beaches and hiking trails over the weekend, making โsocial distancingโ nearly impossible, even outdoors.
But about the same time Newsom was making his announcement Monday, large swaths of Southern California, Californiaโs biggest population hub, felt empty.
This report, first published onย California Healthline, a service of theย California Health Care Foundation. It was published in cooperation withย Kaiser Health News Networkย andย The Published Reporter.
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