TAKING MEASURES

Gov. Newsom: 1 Million Californians Have Filed for Unemployment Amid Coronavirus

The governor also said that 200 banks would commit to a 90-day waiver on mortgage and foreclosure payments amid the pandemic.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Wednesday that one million people have filed for unemployment in the state since March 13. As of Wednesday, California had at least 2,535 confirmed cases of the virus and 53 deaths. The governor said half of the state’s cases were individuals between the ages of 18 and 49. Newsom announced new measures to ease the economic repercussions of the outbreak in California, including over 4,000 hotel rooms that were being made available to the homeless. “[We] have to focus on economics by focusing on health first,” he said. As of Tuesday, California had conducted at least 66,000 tests. The governor said that 200 banks, including Wells Fargo, Citi Bank, and JP Morgan Chase, would commit to a 90-day waiver on mortgage and foreclosure payments for residents affected by the health crisis. Bank of America agreed to a 30-day forbearance. The governor warned, however, that “we’re not even a week or two away” from the end to the statewide “stay-at-home” order to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.