California governor cancels notification of Covid about security considerations

Gavin Newsom, California Governor, speaks during a press conference in Sacramento, California

Rich Pedroncelli | Bloomberg | Getty Images

California Governor Gavin Newsom canceled his planned coronavirus update on Wednesday out of “caution” after a crowd of protesters who supported President Donald Trump stormed the US Capitol.

“We are concerned for the safety of the California Congress delegation and US Capitol staff and we endeavor to provide assistance in any way we can,” the Democratic governor said in a statement, adding that he was concerned about the safety of his own office staff California too.

“Peaceful protest is an important mechanism of our democracy, but what we are seeing in our nation’s Capitol is reprehensible and an outright attack on our democracy and democratic institutions,” Newsom said.

The news comes as California faces the deadliest days of the Covid-19 pandemic. According to a CNBC analysis of data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, the state reports around 354 Covid deaths daily, a record average per week and an increase of nearly 49% compared to a week ago.

A governor’s spokesman told CNBC that the capital’s staff had been asked to work from home for the rest of the day. People who gathered to protest on the Capitol grounds have since left and there have been no major incidents, the spokesman said.

The Sacramento Police Department said in a tweet that 11 people were arrested for illegally possessing pepper spray and that there were some physical fights. However, the protesters have broken up and a large police presence will remain in the area all night.