California officials have announced an overnight stay-at-home order as cases continue to increase and the holiday season approaches.
The stay-at-home order would apply to the 41 counties that are currently in the purple or "widespread" COVID-19 tier. That includes every Bay Area county except for San Francisco, San Mateo and Marin counties.
"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," the governor said in a news release. "We are sounding the alarm. 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."
All non-essential work and gatherings will be prohibited between 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. starting Saturday, November 21. According to the release, these activities "are often non-essential and more likely related to social activities and gatherings that have a higher likelihood of leading to reduced inhibition and reduced likelihood for adherence to safety measures like wearing a face covering and maintaining physical distance."
The state's seven-day positivity rate has grown to 5.6%, according to Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly. Hospitalizations are up 64% over the last two weeks, with the positivity rate climbing from 3.3% to 5% during that period.
"There is no single culprit," Dr. Ghaly said of the cause of rising coronavirus cases statewide. "It's a combination of factors. It's certainly the colder weather, more mixing, which comes with more opening. Not just places indoors, places where you can mask, but places that don't have an easy time masking the whole time."
The order appears similar to the statewide stay-at-home order that went into effect in March when the pandemic first hit, although it is limited to overnight hours and does not impact every county.
"Yes, it does mean that I can still go to the grocery store at 11 (p.m.) if that grocery store is still open to pick up milk or eggs or whatever I need," Dr. Ghaly added.
Last week, California joined Washington state and Oregon in issuing a travel advisory and recommending a two-week quarantine for anyone leaving their respective state during the holidays. Earlier Thursday, the CDC released new guidance recommending Americans avoid travel during the Thanksgiving period.
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