Newsom issues overnight curfew barring non-essential activities, gatherings

SAN DIEGO (CNS) - With COVID-19 infections surging across the state, Gov. Gavin Newsom Thursday, Nov. 19 issued what amounts to an overnight curfew, prohibiting all "non-essential'' activities and gatherings between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.

The ``limited Stay At Home Order'' applies to all counties in the restrictive "purple'' tier of the state's coronavirus monitoring system -- which includes Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego and Riverside counties. The order will take effect at 10 p.m. Saturday and remain in force until 5 a.m. Dec. 21.

``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,'' Newsom said in a statement. ``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.''

According to the governor's office, the order is aimed at reducing opportunities for spread of the virus, nothing that activities conducted overnight ``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.''

On Monday, Newsom said he was pulling an ``emergency brake'' on economic activity in the state in response to rising case numbers. As part of that announcement, 28 counties were moved back to the restrictive ``purple'' tier of the monitoring system, leaving a total of 41 of the state's 58 counties in that tier.

The ``purple'' tier severely restricts capacity at retail establishments, closes fitness centers and limits restaurants to limited outdoor-only service.

Newsom said daily cases numbers in the state ``have doubled just in the last 10 days. This is simply the fastest increase California has seen since the beginning of this pandemic.''

Newsom noted that the biggest increase the state had seen previously was in mid-June, when California had a 39.2% increase in new cases in one week. At the start of November, the state saw a 51.3% increase in a one-week period, he said.

He called it an ``increase simply without precedent in California's pandemic history.''