Thousands of protesters stand off with mounted police as they swarm to Huntington Beach

Thousands of anti-lockdown protesters stood off with mounted police Friday as they assembled on the boardwalk at Huntington Beach angered by California Governor Gavin Newsom’s order to close the beaches and called for an end to the coronavirus shutdown. 

Gov. Newsom acted to close state and local beaches in Orange County to residents from Friday morning after ‘disturbing’ images showed thousands flocking to the sands last weekend – ignoring the state’s stay-at-home order.

The closure announcement triggered criticism in Huntington Beach, in particular, as between 2,500 and 3,000 people gathered a block from the beach Friday to voice their anger, ABC News reported.

Sheriff Don Barnes of Orange County said his department would not actively seek to arrest people on beaches, according to the Los Angeles Times, as protesters were seen being pushed back by a line of police on horses.. 

Many who have been stuck inside for weeks criticized Newsom for policing the population and mocked him for trying to be an ‘all-powerful’ leader as police on horseback kept the crowds in line.

The crowds ignored social distancing guidelines and failed to wear masks. Most were seen carrying American flags as they led raucous chants in a much larger protest than the one gathered in the same area two weeks before.

 

Protesters squared off with cops as thousands arrived at Huntington Beach Friday to protest against the beach closures

Police cavalry move protesters out of the street while they gather in a demonstration at Huntington Beach Friday

Protesters converged on Huntington Beach Friday to demand stay-at-home rules in California be lifted and to express their displeasure with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s directive closing local beaches to slow the spread of coronavirus

Thousands of protesters gathered at Huntington Beach on Friday in breach of social distancing guidelines. Many of them were not wearing face masks, as pictured above, as they called for an end to the coronavirus shutdown

Protesters called on California Gov. Gavin Newsom to ‘open our beaches’ after he announced a hard closure of all Orange County beaches on Thursday. Huntington Beach City Council said they planned to sue the governor over the closures

The protesters gathered a block from the beach at Huntington Beach Friday carrying signs that criticized Gov. Newsom

NEW: Aerial footage shows hundreds gathered in Huntington Beach, California, to protest Governor Newsom’s stay-at-home orders and beach closures in Orange County, many without masks and defying COVID-19 social distance guidelines as they blocked traffic. https://t.co/LTKYWFhdnU pic.twitter.com/2IdJXwDR6C

— World News Tonight (@ABCWorldNews) May 1, 2020

Huntington Beach council announced Thursday night it had voted to sue the governor for closing the beach.

‘This is Surf City. Our identity is very much tied up in our beaches,’ Mayor Lyn Semeta said.

‘Constitutionally I really feel it’s not something legally the governor should be doing.

‘Governor Newsom’s mandate to close all beaches in Orange County today was a jarring decision that significantly impacts us here in Huntington Beach,’ she added in a statement.

‘Given that Orange County has among the lowest per-capita COVID-19 death rates in California, the action by the state prioritizes politics over data, in direct contradiction of the Governor’s stated goal to allow science and facts to guide our response to this horrible global pandemic.’

Gov. Newsom continued to urge people to stay at home during his press conference Friday despite the criticism, adding that the ‘only thing that is assured to advance the spread of the virus is thousands of people congregating together, not practicing social distancing or physical distancing’.

‘If we can avoid that, then we’re going to get to the other side of this with modifications a lot quicker,’ he said. ‘And I just hope people will consider that.’

Mounted police were brought in to control the thousands gathered which included families and children all protesting against beach closures

An aerial view shows Newsom and a swastika carved into the sand after California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered the closure of beaches

A police officer talks to a protester while she gathers in a demonstration at Huntington Beach on Friday. Many of the crowd were mask-less and failed to comply by social distancing guidelines

A protestor holds a an image of Trump’s face during a demonstration in Huntington Beach on Friday. The demonstration started after the city announced it would pursue legal action against California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s order to close Orange County beaches

Between 2,500 and 3,000 protesters gathered at Huntington Beach on Friday, a much larger protest than was seen in the area two weeks ago. The city’s residents are growing increasingly angry at coronavirus closures issued by Gov. Newsom

Police and sheriff’s deputies on horseback, on foot and on motorcycles set up skirmish lines to keep protesters out of the street in front of the Huntington Beach Pier, where thousands have amassed to rally against the governor’s closure of OC beaches. https://t.co/6QmVcT7BeM pic.twitter.com/8KO2DCrPTe

— NBC Los Angeles (@NBCLA) May 1, 2020

Police in Huntington Beach told the Los Angeles Times that they were emphasizing voluntary compliance with the beach closure. 

‘We’ll see what happens over the course of this weekend and, look, if we have the kind of weekend that I hope and expect we will where we don’t see those huge crowds descend, then we’re going to be in a position — as early as Monday, Tuesday, I hope — to make some announcements of new strategies and partnerships that we’re working on in real time to address these large crowds,’ Newsom said of the closures.

Many of the protesters who gathered on Friday wore Make America Great Again merchandise and signs supporting Trump

Many of the protesters carried American flags as they called for an end to the beach closures in Huntington Beach

As of Friday afternoon, Orange County had 2,537 cases and 50 fatalities. The state has 51,776 confirmed infections and 2,113 people have died.

On Thursday, Orange County saw a spike with 145 new cases, the fourth time in six days they have risen, after the beaches opened last week.

The governor had been expected to shutter all beaches and state parks across California from Friday, after a leaked memo from Newsom’s administration to the California Police Chiefs’ Association surfaced Wednesday.

But Newsom announced during a press conference Thursday the new order only applies to state and local beaches in Orange County.

‘Orange County has been on our list of health concern and they’ve done a wonderful job down there, I just think we can tighten that up a little bit. So, we’re going to have a temporary pause down there,’ he said.

FOUR STAGES TO REOPENING CALIFORNIA: 

Stage one: Safety and Preparedness 

Staying home and flattening the curve. Building out testing, PPE, and hospital capacity. Making essential workplaces as safe as possible. Preparing sector-by-sector guidelines for a safe re-opening. 

Stage two: Lower Risk Workplaces

Gradually re-opening some lower risk workplaces with adaptations. 

This will include: Retail (e.g. curbside pickup), manufacturing, offices (when telework not possible)  and more public spaces 

Stage three: Higher Risk Workplaces

Gradually re-opening some higher risk environments with adaptations and limits on size of gatherings. 

This will include: Personal care (hair salons, nail salons, gyms), movie theaters, sports without live audiences and in-person religious services 

Stage four: End of Stay-At-Home Order

Re-opening the highest risk parts of our economy once therapeutics have been developed. 

This will include mass gatherings such as: Concerts, convention centers  and live audience sports 

‘Everyone saw those images and we’re all concerned about that… That’s what ultimately led to this decision,’ Newsom added.

Newsom has published a list of ‘acceptable’ stay-at-home activities, including horse-riding, jogging, meditation, picnics, tree climbing, singles golf and watching the sun rise or set.

‘We want you to see sunsets,’ he said. ‘We want you to enjoy activities outdoors. What they don’t want is people congregating outside in large groups.’

On Tuesday, he outlined a roadmap for one of the largest economies in the world to gradually reopen for business. 

Curbside retail, manufacturing and other ‘lower-risk workplaces’ should reopen within weeks as coronavirus testing and tracing improves, according to Newsom.

Non-essential businesses like offices where remote work is not possible and childcare facilities would be in the first phase of reopening, along with some parks.

The next stage would involve reopening higher risk workplaces, including hair and nails salons, gyms and movie theaters. Sports without live audiences and in person religious services would fall in this category.

The end of California’s stay-at-home order and re-opening the highest risk parts of the economy would fall under stage four. It would include mass gatherings such as concerts, convention centers and live audience sports.

Newsom said higher-risk businesses and activities, such as concerts and large gatherings, would take months to restart.

California schools could start their 2020 year as early as July to make up for a ‘learning loss’ from closures and to allow the broader workforce to return to work, Newsom said.

‘We believe we are weeks, not months away from making meaningful modifications,’ he said. 

Newsom was among the first U.S. governors to issue a statewide stay-at-home order.

The Democratic governor has yet to set an end date for the order and has said he will coordinate with Oregon and Washington on reopening once safety benchmarks are reached.

Minnesota, Mississippi, Colorado, Montana, Tennessee, Georgia, Oklahoma, Alaska and South Carolina – will, or have already, restarted their economies following weeks of mandatory lockdowns that have thrown millions of American workers out of their jobs.

California will be ready for reopening once it has met benchmarks like statewide contact tracing to help identify those who might be infected and a stabilization in coronavirus hospitalizations, health officials have said.

The state ranks about midway among US states in terms of per capita coronavirus testing, with 14,602 tests per million residents, according to the Covid Tracking Project, a volunteer group that publishes data on the pandemic.

Elsewhere in the country, anti-lockdown protesters swarmed New York City Friday – the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S. – to join thousands in rallies across the country to demand an end to stay-at-home orders. 

Sunbathers are seen social distancing on the sand in Newport Beach on Thursday. Cities including Huntington Beach and Dana Point are suing Newsom for closing the beaches to residents from Friday onward

Beachgoers spread out Thursday, the day before the beach is scheduled to close during the coronavirus outbreak, in Newport Beach. California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday temporarily closed Orange County’s coastline after large crowds gathered

Several men also marched on the capitol building in Raleigh, armed with automatic rifles, demanding Governor Roy Cooper lift lockdowns that have been extended until May 8.

The protests have been going on for weeks as states begin to flatten the curve and the virus begins to slow. Many governors and elected officials have relaxed some of the strict ordinances, but many are still angry that they can’t leave their homes.

They claim the shutting down of the economy is more damaging than the virus itself and are demanding residents be allowed to choose for themselves if they can go outside.

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk