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California governor outlines state's phased reopening plan

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday outlined the phased reopening plan for his state, with retail businesses and schools "weeks away" based on an apparent stabilization in both the numbers of confirmed cases of, and deaths due to, coronavirus.

Posted Updated

By
Cheri Mossburg
, CNN
CNN — California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday outlined the phased reopening plan for his state, with retail businesses and schools "weeks away" based on an apparent stabilization in both the numbers of confirmed cases of, and deaths due to, coronavirus.

Newsom said on Twitter that Stage 1 is where the state is now, staying home and working on flattening the curve. The second stage involves lifting restrictions on some lower risk workplaces, such as retail, manufacturing and offices where telework is not possible. Workers and consumers both must be protected in order to lift restrictions and those businesses can begin reopening with adaptations like curbside pickup, according to California Health Director Sonia Angell.

"We are not going back to the way things were until we get to immunity or a vaccine," Newsom said. "We will base reopening plans on facts and data, not on ideology. Not what we want. Not what we hope."

Noting the need for physical activity, Angell also suggested parks and trails may reopen soon.

The next phase, Stage 3, is "months, not weeks, away," Newsom said.

That stage will encompass personal care businesses like gyms, spas and salons, sports without live audiences, in-person religious services and other businesses where workers come in close contact with customers.

And the final phase, Stage 4, will see the end of the stay-at-home order with the reopening of the "highest risk parts of our economy" being reopened, Newsom said on Twitter. That includes concerts, convention centers and sports with live crowds.

Newsom said that stage would come only "once therapeutics have been developed."

This is a breaking story and will be updated.

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