California Gov. Gavin Newsom is expected to announce plans Tuesday to ease the state's coronavirus restrictions. Newsom insists that this move has not been influenced by President Trump, who has been adamant about reopening the American economy sooner rather than later, in defiance of warnings from medical experts.

“I have all the confidence in the world moving forward that we will maintain that collaborative spirit in terms of the decision-making that we make here within the state of California as it relates to a road map for recovery,” Newsom said in a statement.

Newsom confirmed Monday that hospitalization numbers had stabilized over the weekend, indicating that the state’s COVID-19 curve is beginning to plateau. The new figures likely influenced California's decision to move forward with easing restrictions after worries last week that coronavirus cases could spike in May.

California’s specific plans are still unclear but Newsom will coordinate with Oregon Gov. Kate Brown and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee to create a plan to modify the entire West Coast region’s stay-at-home orders.

“COVID-19 doesn’t know borders. The quick action of our states slowed the spread of COVID-19,” Inslee said in a tweet. “It's going to take all of us working together to protect that progress. I’m glad to have partners like @GavinNewsom and @OregonGovBrown.”

Dr. Jeffrey Klausner, a professor of medicine and public health at the University of California, Los Angeles, guessed that the state’s rural areas could conceivably be reopened first. The vast majority of California’s cases of coronavirus are concentrated in its biggest urban areas. Klausner has previously stated that he prefers a more localized approach to containing the coronavirus, with the hardest-hit areas taking the most extreme measures.

Johns Hopkins University reports that California has seen over 24,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus, the fifth most of any state in the U.S. It has also reported over 730 deaths.

Gavin Newsom
California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images