Gov. Gavin Newsom and California Department of Public Health (CDPH) officials on Thursday announced a month-long overnight stay-at-home order which will apply to California counties with the state’s highest rates of COVID-19 transmission.
Starting Saturday, Nov. 21, the limited stay-at-home order will be in effect between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. for counties in the “purple” tier of the state’s reopening guidelines, which indicates the most widespread coronavirus risk. The order mandates that non-essential work, movement and gatherings stop during these hours.
The order will remain in effect until 5 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 21. Currently, it will apply to the six Bay Area counties now in the purple tier:
Alameda Contra Costa Solano Napa Santa Clara Sonoma
The only Bay Area counties not in the purple tier â San Mateo, Marin and San Francisco â are currently in the red tier.
On Monday, Newsom announced that a whopping 41 counties â representing 94% of the state’s population â would be designated under the purple tier, rollbacks he likened to “pulling the emergency brake” on reopenings amid a rapid uptick in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.
The new curfew is the same as the March stay-at-home order, said CDPH, but it applies only during those overnight hours.
#COVID19 has increased at an alarming rate & we must #StopTheSurge to protect essential workers & high-risk individuals.
Today we issued a limited Stay at Home Order to stop all non-essential work & activities from 10PM-5AM in purple tier counties. https://t.co/BJNwvmvfBN pic.twitter.com/q9IQK53Byw
— Office of the Governor of California (@CAgovernor) November 19, 2020
“The virus is spreading at a pace we havenât seen since the start of this pandemic and the next several days and weeks will be critical to stop the surge,” said Gov. Newsom in a statement. “We are sounding the alarm.”
“It is crucial that we act to decrease transmission and slow hospitalizations before the death count surges. Weâve done it before and we must do it again,” said Newsom.
While nonessential businesses must close by 10 p.m., restaurants can still offer takeout food, said Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly in a press briefing.
People in the purple tier counties under curfew will still be able to get medical care, pick up prescriptions and take care of other essential needs.
Copyright 2020 KQED