California Governor Gavin Newsom on Sunday directed all "non-essential" businesses such as "bars, nightclubs, wineries and brewpubs and the like" be closed in the state.
"We believe this is a non-essential function … And we believe this is appropriate under the circumstances," Newsom said during a press conference.
Newsom did not ask all restaurants in the state to close down as Ohio and Illinois have done.
"We have more concerns and considerations ... We don't believe ultimately we need to shut them down," Newsom said.
Newsom called for restaurants to socially distance patrons within establishments. "We're directing we reduce current occupancy by half and require social distancing," he said.
Newsom also called for the home isolation of all seniors in California as well as those with chronic health conditions.
He added that the state of California was partnering with organizations across healthcare, including Verily, Google's sister company, to expand access to reliable screening and testing of the coronavirus.
According to Newsom, 335 people have tested positive for coronavirus in California and there have been six deaths so far. "We are working very collaboratively ... We are trying to solve problems in real time," Newsom said.
