California Governor Orders Second Shutdown of Restaurants and Indoor Businesses amid COVID-19
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has ordered a second shutdown of restaurants and indoor businesses in over 19 counties that have seen a recent surge in coronavirus cases.
Newsom made the announcement last week, saying the counties had been on the state's "watch list," according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
“We’ve seen increased activity where people simply aren’t able to practice social distancing,” Newsom reportedly said at a briefing on Wednesday. “When we talk about this dimmer switch, it’s not an on-and-off switch. It’s based upon local conditions.”
Counties impacted include Los Angeles, Orange, Sacramento, Stanislaus, Fresno, Glenn, Imperial, Kern, Kings, Merced, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Joaquin, Santa Barbara, Tulare and Ventura counties.
In the Bay Area, three counties — Contra Costa, Santa Clara, and Solano counties — were initially affected.
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Restaurants, wineries, movie theaters, family entertainment centers, zoos, museums, and card-rooms in those areas were ordered to shut down indoor operations, though they can still operate outdoors.
Bars, both indoor and outdoor, have been closed in all 19 counties, per ABC News.
Newsom's new order came one day after the state reported 7,820 new cases last Tuesday — its second-highest tally in a 24-hour period — and surpassed 6,000 deaths.
Over the last two weeks, hospitalizations have also climbed 56 percent and ICU admissions are up 49 percent, ABC reported.
The governor also encouraged some counties to consider reimposing parts of stay-at-home orders that had been lifted in May.
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Following the Fourth of July weekend, California's total case count is at 271,493 as of Monday, July 6, per a New York Times database. The state has also reported at least 6,366 deaths.
Newsom hopes that his new restrictions will help flatten the curve again.
"We were successful in bending that curve. We will be successful again in bending this new curve," he said Wednesday.
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