Many Californians were preparing Sunday for a new stay-at-home-order that bars restaurant dining, shutters salons and limits retail in an effort to curb spiraling coronavirus infections and hospitalizations.
The new rules that take effect before midnight in the vast region of Southern California, much of the San Francisco Bay Area and a large swath of the Central Valley also prohibit residents from gathering with people not in their households.
Public health officials contend the measures are critical as space dwindles in intensive care units in Southern California and much of the Central Valley amid a surge in coronavirus infections. Law enforcement officials in these same areas, however, said they don't plan to enforce the rules and are counting on residents to wear masks and practice physical distancing to protect themselves during the pandemic.
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“These closures and stay-at-home orders are flat out ridiculous,” Chad Bianco, Riverside County's sheriff, said in a recent video message. “I believe that all jobs are essential to someone.”
With coronavirus cases rising, Gov. Gavin Newsom recently announced a plan to divide the state into five regions and use ICU capacity as a trigger for widespread closures. It is the most restrictive order since Newsom imposed the country’s first statewide stay-at-home rule in March and comes as the state grapples with soaring COVID-19 infections that have driven hospitalizations above 9,000 and the seven-day positivity rate near 10%.
The rules could affect about eight in 10 California residents and will remain in place at least three weeks, meaning the lockdown will cover the Christmas holiday.
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California's Department of Public Health imposed the order Saturday after intensive care unit capacity in Southern California and Central Valley hospitals fell below a 15% threshold. Five San Francisco Bay Area counties opted to do the same even before the state mandate kicks in for their region, and the measures there will last at least through Jan. 4, a week longer than the state’s timeline. Much of California is on the brink of the same restrictions.
The explosive rise in infections that began in October is being blamed largely on people ignoring safety measures and socializing with others.
Under the measures, schools that are currently open can continue to provide in-person instruction. Retailers including supermarkets and shopping centers can operate with just 20% capacity while restaurant dining, hair and nail salons, movie theaters, museums and playgrounds must close.
The order deals a blow to small businesses that have struggled to survive over nearly a year in which they were repeatedly ordered to close then allowed to reopen but with complex safety precautions. Many business owners have said they can't afford to comply and questioned whether the virus was really spreading at their locations.
Andrew Gruel, executive chef and founder of Slapfish seafood restaurant, pointed to examples of elected officials including Newsom dining out as they called for restrictions on eateries like the one Gruel started in Huntington Beach.
“No one is following their own rules. How serious can those rules be if they’re not following their own rules?” Gruel asked in a video posted on social media.
