California's San Joaquin Valley enacts stay-home order

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Faced with a dire shortage of hospital beds, California’s San Joaquin Valley was placed under a sweeping new lockdown Saturday in an urgent attempt to slow the rapid rise of coronavirus cases.

The Fresno County Department of Public Health announced that the San Joaquin Valley, which includes 12 counties and the city of Fresno in the agricultural Central Valley, will face the new restrictions on businesses and activities starting Sunday.

Much of the state, including Southern California, is on the brink of the same restrictions, and some regions have opted to impose them even before the state mandate kicks in.

Officials in the San Joaquin Valley said that intensive care unit capacity has fallen below the 15% threshold that triggers the new measures. The rules bar all on-site restaurant dining and close hair and nail salons, movie theaters and many other businesses, as well as museums and playgrounds. They also say people may not congregate with anyone outside their household and must always wear masks when they go outside.

“We are at a point where surging cases and hospitalizations are not letting up," said Dr. Salvador Sandoval, public health officer for the Central Valley city of Merced. “I can’t emphasize this enough – everyone must take personal steps to protect themselves and protect others.”

Five San Francisco Bay Area counties imposed a new stay-at-home order for their residents that will take effect Sunday.

With a new lockdown looming, many rushed out to supermarkets Saturday and lined up outside salons to squeeze in a haircut before the orders in some areas take effect on Sunday.

San Francisco resident Michael Duranceau rushed to a market to prepare.

“I'm just stocking up before Sunday — the basics, bread, eggs," he told...