This is why we can’t have nice things. California Gov. Gavin Newsom will close all beaches and state parks starting Friday after thousands of people rushed to the coast during last weekend’s heatwave. Eric Nuñez, president of the California Police Chiefs Association, told the AP that a memo was sent to the group’s members Wednesday evening ahead of Newsom’s expected announcement. The new rules are likely to anger many—critics argue that people can easily observe social distancing on vast beaches and at parks, and that public spaces are important for residents confined to their homes. The statewide order is also likely to be criticized as confusing after six San Francisco Bay Area counties that imposed the first broad stay-at-home orders in California loosened them slightly this week to allow for landscaping, construction, and other outdoor businesses, such as flea markets and nurseries to restart, if social distancing is maintained.
