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'They're Making A Big Mistake': Gov. Newsom Chides Yuba, Sutter Counties For Hitting The Gas On Reopening

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — California Gov. Newsom chastised Yuba and Sutter counties for allowing businesses like dine-in restaurants and hair salons to open.

"They're making a big mistake," Newsom said at his daily press conference on Tuesday. "They're putting their public at risk, they're putting our progress at risk."

The comments come as California gets ready to start peeling back the coronavirus stay-at-home order. On Thursday, new guidelines are expected to be released that pushes the state into phase 2 of the 4-phase plan of reopening.

Speaking from Display: California, a small retail store located at the Downtown Commons shopping center in Sacramento, Newsom talked about how many small businesses have had trouble making ends meet as the state shut down over the coronavirus pandemic.

Still, Newsom cautioned things will look different when California starts to reopen.

"We're not going back to normal. It's back to a new normal with adaptations and modifications until we get to immunity, until we get to a vaccine," Newsom said.

Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg was also on hand and reiterated that he was confident - as long as people follow the modifications like wearing masks and properly sanitizing - more businesses could open up.

"This cannot be a choice between public health and reopening the economy," Steinberg said. "We know that we must do both."

The governor shied away from saying anything about whether counties like Yuba and Sutter will face any consequences for pushing further into the reopening process. Instead, Newsom said he was committed to working with leaders to accommodate regional variances.

Later Tuesday, the Yuba-Sutter Health Department released a statement in response to Newsom's criticism: "We remain focused on the totality of health and wellbeing in our communities and stand by Dr. Luu's science-based approach to phasing in the partial reopening of our counties."

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