Authorities in Los Angeles are warning against a weekend rush to beaches and hiking trails, which remain closed during the coronavirus pandemic, despite surging temperatures.
Southern California is due to see its first weekend of high heat this weekend, with temperatures forecast to top 33 degrees Celsius in Los Angeles.
“As temperatures climb, it’s as important to remember that the Mayor’s Safer At Home Order is still in effect,” Michel Moore, the Los Angeles police chief, said in a tweet on Thursday.
“The sacrifices we make today will keep our fellow Angelenos safe and allow us to more quickly get back to our LA way of life – We are in this together,” she added.
In the beachside town of Malibu neighbouring Los Angles, Mayor Karen Farrer called on people to stay away from the star-studded haven: “Enjoy the outdoors in your neighbourhood or in your backyard.”
“It is difficult for all of us, in Malibu and elsewhere, to stay home and not be able to enjoy the beaches and mountains that we cherish, but this is a sacrifice that we must make to protect our seniors and vulnerable people from this deadly disease,” she said, according to the local CBS station.
Los Angeles was among the first cities in the nation to institute widespread lockdown measures in the face of the coronavirus and has so far reported 17,508 confirmed cases and 797 deaths, making it the epicentre of California’s outbreak.
On Thursday 95 people died of the virus in California, California Governor Gavin Newsom said on Friday, following the state’s deadliest day at 115 deaths on Wednesday.
State-wide hospitalizations remained flat, a sign that the social distancing measures continue to curb the the state’s outbreak.
“Some encouraging signs,” Newsom said on Friday, but he added that the state does not yet have plans to ease lockdown measures.
