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The salty breeze and ocean waves have beckoned stir-crazy residents of the coast back to their beloved beaches, social distancing norms be damned. But how to prevent beach blankets and lawn chairs from becoming new founts of coronavirus infection has become a flash point for governors in Florida, California and other coastal states, who must balance demands from constituents for relief from the escalating spring heat against the horrified reaction of the general public to photos of sweaty, swimsuit-clad bodies packed towel to towel. Gov. Gavin Newsom of California stepped in on Thursday to shut down the beaches in Orange County, rolling back earlier attempts at giving people there a chance to stroll along the shore while staying a safe distance away from one another. (Mazzei, Hubler and Fuller, 4/30)

"After the well-publicized media coverage of overcrowded beaches this past weekend, in violation of Governor Newsom's Shelter in Place Order, the Governor will be announcing [Thursday] that ALL beaches and all state parks in California will be closed, effective Friday, May 1st," the memo read. (Hagemann, 4/30)

Modoc County — one of California's most desolate jurisdictions with no known coronavirus cases — says it will allow bars, restaurants and churches to reopen Friday despite Gov. Gavin Newsom's statewide lockdown. “We’re not in this at all to defy anything. We align with the plans. We’re just at a different phase in this because of where we are and how we live,” Heather Hadwick, deputy director of the county's Office of Emergency Services, told POLITICO on Thursday. (Colliver, 4/30)

The first California election of the coronavirus era is set to take place in the valleys north of Los Angeles, where Republicans are looking to reverse their recent string of electoral misfortunes. Up for grabs in the May 12 special election is a highly coveted vacant House seat in the 25th Congressional District, one that Democrats recently flipped. The unique timing and circumstances of the race, brought on by the high-profile resignation of former Rep. Katie Hill, a Santa Clarita Democrat, who defeated Republican incumbent Steve Knight in 2018, has drawn national interest and big-name endorsements. (Marzorati, 5/1)

In late April, six Bay Area counties and the city of Berkeley announced that residents would be required to shelter in place through at least May 31 to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. New public health orders — impacting Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Santa Clara, San Francisco and Marin counties and Berkeley — largely resemble earlier mandates, requiring some 7 million residents to leave their homes only for the most essential errands and to keep at least 6 feet away from anyone they don’t live with. (Fracassa, 4/30)

Scott Tranter knows how deeply the coronavirus has affected New York, with 300,000 people testing positive in the state, 18,000 dead and the economy shut down. But as he surveyed his empty diner last week, it made little sense to him why businesses like his could not reopen, since the virus has barely touched his part of the state. “Enough is enough,” said Mr. Tranter, the owner of Crazy Otto’s Empire Diner, a popular vintage diner that, like all restaurants, can only offer takeout. (McKinley and Gottlieb, 5/1)

As demonstrators who want to get back to work planned a show of force in multiple U.S. cities Friday for International Workers Day, counterprotesters said they would hold their own rallies in support of keeping non-essential businesses closed to prevent the spread of coronavirus. The lunchtime counterprotests are being organized by the organization Refuse Fascism. (Romero, 5/1)

The greater Washington region reported nearly 2,000 new coronavirus cases Thursday, with the District recording its worst day for fatalities, as Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) came under increasing pressure from fellow Republicans to reopen his state’s economy. With the virus having killed 1,929 residents of the District, Maryland and Virginia, area leaders said it’s unlikely they would soon lift shutdown orders that have stunted the local economy — even as nearly 119,000 more local residents lost their jobs last week. (Olivo, Wiggins and Nirappil, 4/30)

The District, Maryland and Virginia have been shut down for weeks, their economies in tatters. Large swaths of the population venture out only rarely, wrapped in masks and gloves. But hundreds of new coronavirus cases are still reported each day as the virus continues its devastating march through nursing homes, jails and other institutional settings. Doctors and public health officials said it increasingly is infecting people who cannot afford to miss work or telecommute — grocery store employees, delivery drivers and construction workers. Sometimes they, in turn, infect their families. (Swenson and Portnoy, 4/30)

For weeks, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb has said he will lean on health officials and state-specific data to decide when and how to begin reopening the economy amid the coronavirus pandemic. Holcomb is expected to unveil some of those plans Friday when the state's stay-at-home order is set to expire. He's been tight-lipped on specifics until then, saying that a reopening will depend on a number of factors. (DePompei, 5/1)