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But Imperial’s situation was alarming long before its leaders came under Newsom’s scrutiny. Since the outset of the pandemic, the county’s infection rate has been about six times higher than California’s as a whole, with at least 2,835 cases per 100,000 people. Statewide, the average is 491 cases per 100,000 people. The percentage of people tested in the county who are confirmed to have the virus has soared to nearly 23%, about four times the state total. (Gardiner, 7/1)

For a brief moment, California returned to bars, beaches and Botox. But after a few days, much of the state is reversing course as hospitals see an alarming spike in people sick with COVID-19, raising the specter of an overwhelmed medical system. “It’s scary,” said Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease expert at UC San Francisco. “We still haven’t recovered from the first phase, and now we have to get ready for the next one.” (Chabria, Baumgaertner, Lai and Luna, 6/30)

Among other major developments Tuesday, the state recorded 7,820 new cases — its second highest tally in a 24-hour period — and surpassed 6,000 deaths from the coronavirus; New York, New Jersey and Connecticut imposed a 14-day quarantine on anyone arriving from California; and the nation’s top infectious disease official warned the U.S. could see 100,000 new cases per day if the current upward trajectory does not change. (Ho and Koseff, 6/30)

Kaiser Health News: As Cases Spike, California Pauses Multimillion-Dollar Testing Expansion 

In April, Gov. Gavin Newsom launched a multimillion-dollar state initiative to bring COVID-19 testing to the people and places with the least access: rural towns and disadvantaged inner-city neighborhoods. California is now halting its expansion, citing costs, even as the state is getting walloped by record-setting spikes in new infections and double-digit increases in hospitalizations. (Hart and Bluth, 7/1)

California health officials are worried about the spread of the coronavirus at family gatherings heading into the Fourth of July weekend, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Tuesday at a news conference where he revealed plans to reinstitute more restrictions on public life this week. (Koseff, 6/30)

Three months after Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an unprecedented statewide stay-at-home order designed to stem the spread of the coronavirus, California recorded a new grim milestone: passing the threshold of 6,000 coronavirus-related deaths. Tuesday’s news came one day after the state recorded its highest single-day count of COVID-19 cases. Monday’s tally of more than 8,000 infections broke the state’s daily record for the third time in eight days. (Shalby, 6/30)