San Diego County (and most other counties in SoCal) will be under an overnight curfew to curb the alarming rise in COVID-19 cases.
Earlier this week, Governor Gavin Newsom announced that the majority of California’s counties would move back to the Purple Tier (the most restrictive tier in the state’s reopening Blueprint) noting that a curfew was under consideration. Meanwhile, L.A. County (which was already in this tier) immediately went ahead with its own curfew which limits non-essential business to operating between 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. and goes into effect from November 20. On top of this, Newsom’s curfew will prevent personal gatherings and non-essential business operations between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., starting this Saturday.
The new order will be in place for a month starting November 21 through December 21 but could be extended if the numbers continue to surge. Unlike the previous order, this will only be in place overnight when people are more likely to engage in non-essential activities with less caution. This comes after the state saw a 50 percent rise in case rates during the first week of November and an alarming increase in hospitalizations.
Due to the rise in #COVID19 cases, CA is issuing a limited Stay at Home Order.
Non-essential work and gatherings must stop from 10pm-5am in counties in the purple tier.
This will take effect at 10pm on Saturday and remain for 1 month.
Together–we can flatten the curve again.
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) November 19, 2020
Activities associated with the operation, maintenance, or usage of critical infrastructure or required by law will be exempt from this order and it doesn’t apply to any persons experiencing homelessness. While you may still leave your place of residence, gathering or mixing with persons from another household will be prohibited.
“It is crucial that we act to decrease transmission and slow hospitalizations before the death count surges. We’ve done it before and we must do it again,” Newsom said in a statement on Thursday afternoon.
California Health Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly provided an update on the COVID-19 in California, noting that L.A. County is contributing significantly to the rising numbers. On November 1 new cases were at 1,513, as of yesterday they were at 5,031.
“We know from our stay at home order this spring, which flattened the curve in California, that reducing the movement and mixing of individuals dramatically decreases COVID-19 spread, hospitalizations, and deaths,” California Health Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said in a statement.
[Featured Image: Stephen Leonardi via Unsplash]