News Update

Governor touches on education-related issues in daily briefing

During a press conference in Los Angeles, Gov. Gavin Newsom reiterated that the state is working to help get fourth-year medical students into the workforce more quickly than they might have anticipated through temporary licensing to meet the demand on healthcare systems expected as coronavirus cases surge throughout California over the next few weeks.

He praised the work being done at medical centers statewide to help come up with new treatments and tests, including UC medical centers, Stanford University and the University of Southern California. One such effort, he said, involves the creation of swabs for tests using 3D printing technology.

Newsom said the new federal stimulus package will provide more money for higher education and K-12 education in California, but he warned that the overall package would not be enough to meet all of the state’s needs and said more will be necessary. State officials, he said, are reassessing California’s budget and will make adjustments to spending plans due to the economic impacts of the coronavirus.

Out of 88,400 tests conducted in the state so far, Newsom said tens of thousands are still waiting for results. As of 10 a.m., he said there were 3,801 positive tests for coronavirus, a 26 percent increase from the previous day. “So I caution people, as it relates to numbers, to consider the magnitude of tests that haven’t come back yet,” he said.

As Californians head into the second weekend since Newsom issued a statewide order to stay home, he reminded the public that parking lots in 98 state parks have been shut down, primarily along the coast, “to reduce what we experienced last weekend,” when people did not practice social distancing. “We’ll see what happens this weekend,” he said, adding that the state is prepared to “ratchet up” efforts to minimize gatherings if necessary.