Southern California to Enter Stay-at-Home Order on Sunday as ICU Capacity Drops
A new stay-at-home order will go into effect on Sunday night across Southern California as capacities at intensive care units have continued to drop.
Beginning Sunday night at 11:59 p.m., restaurants will be limited to delivery and takeout; retail businesses can only operate at 20% capacity; and movie theaters, hair salons, personal care services, museums and bars must close in Los Angeles, Orange, Imperial, Inyo, Mono, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura for at least three weeks.
Film and TV production and pro sports without audiences are allowed to continue under the order, but private gatherings of any size will be prohibited.
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The order, first announced by California Gov. Gavin Newsom earlier this week, impacts regions where ICU capacity is below 15%. On Saturday, the state reported that Southern California had an ICU capacity of 12.5%. San Joaquin Valley, which had a capacity of 8.6% on Saturday, will also be impacted by the order.
Though the Bay Area as a whole has not fallen below the 15% threshold, five Bay Area counties — San Francisco, Santa Clara, Marin, Contra Costa and Alameda — said on Friday that they would implement similar health orders that will limit restaurants to takeout and delivery, shut down personal care businesses and limit retail to 20%.
“If we all can’t get behind the existing directives to stay home as much as possible and avoid all non-essential activities and places where you are likely to be in contact with non-household members, we are likely to bear witness to one of the worst healthcare crises our county has seen in our lifetime,” Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said on Saturday. “The reality is we can still prevent the continued increases in people suffering and dying if we focus all of our collective will on doing what we know how to do; this is the time to take care of each other, and to always wear a face covering and keep a physical distance of at least 6-feet when outside and around others.”
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