Governor Gavin Newsom announced in his daily COVID-19 press briefing on Thursday that California regions will have specific stay-at-home orders based on the occupancy of ICU centers in local area hospitals.
During the announcement, Gov. Newsom said that these orders will effect California regions instead of specific counties. The five regions are: Northern California, Greater Sacramento, Bay Area, San Joaquin Valley and Southern California.
According to KCRA, the orders will go into effect when the intensive care unit capacity in a region drops below 15% and will stay in place for three weeks.
As of his announcement on Thursday, none of the regions currently meet the threshold for the new rules, Newsom said. However, he noted that all regions but the Bay Area are likely to meet that threshold within a day or two.
Newsome also announced that with the tighter region restrictions, many businesses and storefronts won’t be allowed to open. Local businesses like bars, wineries, personal services, hair salons and barbershops will be forced to close. Retail stores will be limited to 20% capacity and restaurants will only be allowed to offer to-go orders and delivery.
The announcement and direction on Thursday comes from California reporting more than 20,000 new coronavirus cases Wednesday, shattering the state’s previous one-day record.
According to FOX40, Sleep Train Arena surge facility will be open Dec. 9 to serve the Greater Sacramento region. This facility can intake 224 patients, according to Newsom.