Calif. Gov. Newsom shutters restaurant dining rooms, movie theaters, bars for at least 3 weeks across 19 counties amid COVID-19 surge

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) announced Wednesday the closing of a variety of public places in 19 California counties for the next three weeks.

The move is amid a surge in confirmed coronavirus cases surging across the state.

What are the details?

In a tweet, Newsom wrote, "COVID19 continues to spread at an alarming rate. Effective immediately, 19 counties must close indoors operations for the following sectors: - Restaurants - Wineries - Movie theaters & family entertainment - Zoos, museums - Cardrooms Bars must close ALL operations."

Shortly after the first announcement, the California governor added, "NEW: All parking facilities at state beaches in Southern CA and the Bay Area will be CLOSED for the upcoming weekend. #COVID19 does not take 4th of July off. Avoid crowds. Do not gather with people you do not live with. Wear a mask. Physically distance. Be smart. Do your part."

A Wednesday report in the Los Angeles Times noted that officials "fear disaster" ahead of the Independence Day holiday if certain public businesses don't lock down.

"Newsom is also recommending the cancellation of all fireworks shows on the Fourth of July in the affected counties," the outlet reported, "and is urging all Californians to rethink having large get-togethers with friends and neighbors to celebrate the holiday."

Newsom insisted that restaurants aren't closed down, and business is simply restricted to carry-out and delivery services.

"It means that we're trying to take the activities, as many activities as we can ... and move them outdoors," he added, "which is a way of mitigating the spread of this virus."

The governor's order impacts Contra Costa, Fresno, Glenn, Imperial, Kern, Kings, Los Angeles, Merced, Orange, Riverside, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Joaquin, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Solano, Stanislaus, Tulare, and Ventura counties.

Between the COVID-19 surge and Newsom's June 18 mandate requiring all Californians to wear masks in public settings, it seemed only a matter of time before densely populated areas across the state retreated from their previous progress in reopening.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University estimate that there have been at least 232,468 confirmed COVID-19 cases in California, with at least 6,089 deaths attributable to the deadly virus.

Anything else?

Brian Vaughan, public health officer for Yolo County, told the outlet that such a surge has been anticipated and planned for.

“The seriousness in which our community has addressed it was a huge reason why we were able to flatten our curve and we didn't see a big spike," Vaughn explained. “So I would assume that, if we're being transparent we're sharing our data, and things start ticking up in terms of infections that the community would be behind us."