SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) – California Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday ordered the shutdown of bars and indoor operations at restaurants, wineries, movie theaters, and other businesses as coronavirus cases and hospitalizations surge statewide.
The new statewide order directs all counties to shut down indoor dining, bars, wineries, movie theaters, zoos, museums, cardrooms, and other indoor entertainment venues.
Earlier in the pandemic California closed beaches, campgrounds and state parks as it sought to limit interactions of people from different households. But as data showed the virus was most likely to be transmitted indoors, the Newsom administration began modifying public health orders, including ordering people to wear face coverings and leaving outdoor activities alone.
The sweeping set of closures were announced as the state recorded more than 329,000 cases and deaths topped 7,000. Hospitalizations surged by 28% over the past two weeks, including a 20% increase in patients requiring intensive care, Newsom said.
Shutdowns go even further in 30 counties on the state’s COVID-19 watch list. Those counties account for roughly 80% of California’s population.
Bay Area counties on the watch list are Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, Solano, and Sonoma.
Newsom said Alameda County would likely be placed on the watch list in the coming days.
Those that have been on the list for three days now must restrict indoor operations for hair and nail salons, tattoo parlors, gyms, shopping malls and houses of worship.
Newsom said while the state had managed to flatten the curve of COVID-19 infections in the wake of mid-March orders that shut down most businesses and kept many people at home.
“We were able to suppress the spread of this virus, we were able to knock down the growth of this in the beginning,” Newsom said. “We are going to do that again, there is no doubt in my mind.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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