US: California issues limited stay-at-home order

WASHINGTON

California Governor Gavin Newsom announced a limited stay-at-home order Thursday, citing an unprecedented and rapid rise in COVID-19 cases across the state.

The order requires non-essential work, movement, and gatherings to stop between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. in counties in the state’s most restrictive purple tier.

The order will take effect at 10 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 21, and remain in effect until 5 a.m. on Dec. 21.

"This is the same as the March Stay at Home Order, but applied only between 10 PM and 5 AM and only in purple tier counties that are seeing the highest rates of positive cases and hospitalizations," said the governor in a statement.

The state has more than 1 million cases and 18,500 deaths from the disease, according to a running tally by Johns Hopkins University.

"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," said Newsom.

"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," he added.

The disease was first detected in Wuhan, China in late December last year.