California takes small step toward reopening amid outbreak

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom relaxed his stay-at-home order on Wednesday to let hospitals resume elective surgeries, a move that will send many thousands of idled health care employees back to work as the state takes a cautious first step toward restarting the world's fifth-largest economy.

While only a narrow opening, it was a significant milestone because just three weeks earlier Newsom had the same hospitals preparing for a worst-case scenario that could see them overwhelmed to the point that tens of thousands of additional beds would be needed to handle the overflow of patients.

Cases continue to grow in California. But it's at a manageable pace as the state's 40 million residents live under a stay-at-home order that has closed schools, beaches, parks and most businesses while canceling things like concerts and sporting events to prevent the spread of the disease.

Newsom's order took effect immediately and left it up to local governments and individual hospitals to determine how and how soon to resume elective surgeries for heart and cancer patients, among others.

A day earlier, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said some hospitals there could resume elective outpatient treatments next week if they meet certain requirements for space and number of virus cases. And in Washington, which along with Oregon is coordinating with California on issues for reopening, Gov. Jay Inslee said he was hopeful elective surgeries could resume soon.

Newsom said decisions on when to more broadly reopen California will be based “first and foremost” on public health.

“I wish I can prescribe a specific date to say, ‘Well, we can turn on the light switch and go back to normalcy,’ ” Newsom said. “We have tried to make it crystal clear that there is no light switch and there is no date in terms of our...