LOS ANGELES (AP) — California lawmakers are begging people not to pack beaches and hiking trails as a sunny weekend arrives after days of residents being cooped up under stay-at-home orders.
Springtime weather is expected more than a week after Gov. Gavin Newsom barred 40 million residents from going outdoors except for essentials.
Even so, reports of crowds have prompted local and state officials to warn that ignoring social distancing and beach closures could spread the virus, which already is surging.
Johns Hopkins University tallied more than 4,700 California cases Friday, with at least 97 deaths.