With hot weather blanketing Southern California this weekend, officials are urging residents to keep up with social distancing measures and avoid trips _ especially to the beach.
"A day or two of fun, leading to weeks more of us being in our homes and not being able to go out, simply isn't worth it," Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said Friday.
Record-high temperatures were reported Friday at Burbank's Bob Hope Airport, where a high of 99 degrees broke the old record of 93 degrees set in 1965, and at the University of California, Los Angeles, where a recording of 87 degrees broke the old record of 86 set in 2001.
Temperatures tied records in downtown Los Angeles, Long Beach, Camarillo, Woodland Hills and Paso Robles, the National Weather Service said.
Saturday was expected to be a few degrees cooler, with downtown L.A. reaching a high of about 90 degrees, but still above the normal high for this time of year, which is about 74, said Mike Wofford, a meteorologist with the weather service in Oxnard.
Things were expected to cool off Saturday night, but temperatures will remain above normal, in the 80s, for the next seven days, Wofford said.
Officials are concerned the heat wave could lead to the crowding of outdoor spaces, making it difficult for people to avoid close contact with others.
Social distancing has helped slow the spread of coronavirus, and early stay-at-home orders in California have meant fewer deaths compared with hot spots like New York, experts say.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said those who do choose to be outdoors should visit only open locations and ensure they remain physically separated from others, as they've done since he imposed a statewide stay-at-home order five weeks ago. If they don't, Newsom said, he fears he'll soon be reporting a surge in the number of cases.
"I don't think anybody wants to hear that. I don't want to share that information. But that's really less up to me, it's more up to all of you," he said.
This weekend, most beaches, including many of those operated by the state, remain closed. And even at the ones that are open, strict social distancing rules apply and parking lots may be closed. Many Ventura and Orange county beaches are open, but officials wary of a crush of visitors have urged outsiders not to visit.
