Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday announced that starting Saturday all non-essential businesses, travel and gatherings will be subject to a month-long curfew.
Counties in the “Widespread,” or purple, tier of the state’s Covid-19 reopening plan, will have to close all non-essential businesses and cease all non-essential “movement” from 10pm to 5am. The curfew, Newsom said, will lift no earlier than Dec. 21.
It is the same as the March stay-at-some order, but applied only between the specified time and only in purple tier counties that are seeing the highest rates of positive cases and hospitalizations.
“The virus is spreading at a pace we haven’t seen since the start of this pandemic and the next several days and weeks will be critical to stop the surge. We are sounding the alarm,” Newsom said. “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.”
This order does not apply to persons experiencing homelessness, according to Acting State Public Health Officer Erica S. Pan.
In addition, nothing in the order prevents people from the same household from leaving their residence, lodging or temporary accommodation, as long as they do not interact or gather with people from other households.
“This Limited Stay at Home Order will reduce opportunities for disease transmission with the goal of decreasing the number of hours individuals are in the community and mixing with individuals outside of their household,” she said. “Every intervention to decrease mixing of households is critical during this unparalleled increase in case rate rise of about 50 percent during the first week in November.”
