LOS ANGELES (AP) — A spring heat wave drove people to California beaches, golf courses and trails, leading to the closure of one coastal park as authorities warned people not to swarm recreational areas for fear of igniting a deadly coronavirus surge.
Temperatures soared into the 80s and 90s from Sacramento to San Diego by midday Saturday.
While most recreational areas remain shuttered for weeks under various stay-at-home orders, officials fear those still open will draw crowds that will ignore social distancing rules.
Those rules are praised for slowing the rise in COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths. More than 1,670 Californians have died with the virus.