Gov. Newsom warns of 'record breaking temperatures' amid California heat wave
The governor also said changes to the watch list are coming Monday
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Gov. Gavin Newsom gave a coronavirus update Friday amid concern that the incoming heat wave will bring large crowds to public places like beaches and impact energy consumption.
"The next seven, eight, nine, 10 days, we're going to experience record breaking temperatures," the governor said. "That means we can all be thoughtful about our electricity and energy consumption. So if you want to remind your kids that when you walk out of a room to turn the lights off, this is the time to do it."
The California Independent System Operator has issued a statewide Flex Alert, asking residents to conserve power if at all possible between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.
RELATED: Gov. Newsom calls out 'spring break'-sized crowds at local river amid COVID-19 pandemic
Amid the heat wave, there's also concern that Californians will take their masks off in public places when it gets too hot.
On Wednesday, Newsom expressed frustration with Californians who still aren't social distancing amid the pandemic.
He said crowds at the American River near Sacramento recently made it look like "spring break."
"We're not minimizing mixing. It throws shivers up my spine," said Newsom. "Here we are making all this progress, and it can be done away."
VIDEO:Lake Tahoe residents plan protests over surge of tourists
Gov. Newsom reported 7,934 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, but that number still includes a lot of backlogged cases that hadn't yet been tallied. A data glitch on July 25 left 295,000 health records - many of them COVID-19 tests - unprocessed. The glitch led to an underreporting of new coronavirus cases.
VIDEO: Newsom says CA backlogged COVID-19 cases fully reported
The state's county watch list has been frozen as the state straightens out the inaccurate COVID-19 data. As California has finally counted all the backlogged cases as of Friday, the governor said the watch list would be unfrozen as soon as Monday.
Unfreezing the watch list may get some counties off of it, and open the door for reopening classrooms in the coming weeks.
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