Curfew issued for purple tier
Due to the rapid rise in COVID-19 cases across California, Gov. Gavin Newsom and the California Department of Public Health on Thursday announced a limited stay-at-home order requiring non-essential work, movement and gatherings to stop between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. in counties in the purple tier.
The order will take effect on Nov. 21 at 10 p.m., and remain in effect until 5 a.m. on Dec. 21.
Because San Joaquin County was assigned to the purple tier on Monday, the new order applies to residents here.
“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. We are sounding the alarm,” Newsom said in a media statement Thursday. “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.”
The new order is designed to reduce COVID-19 transmission, Newsom said, adding that activities conducted between 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. 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.
“We know from our stay-at-home order this spring, which flattened the curve in California, that reducing the movement and mixing of individuals dramatically decreases COVID-19 spread, hospitalizations, and deaths,” California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said. “We may need to take more stringent actions if we are unable to flatten the curve quickly. Taking these hard, temporary actions now could help prevent future shutdowns.”
COVID-19 case rates increased by approximately 50% in California during the first week of November, the state said. As a result, Newsom and public health officials have announced a list of measures to protect Californians and the state’s health care system, which could experience an unprecedented surge if cases continue their steep climb.
“We are asking Californians to change their personal behaviors to stop the surge,” Dr. Erica Pan, the state’s acting Public Health Director, said in the media statement. “We must be strong together and make tough decisions to stay socially connected but physically distanced during this critical time. Letting our guard down could put thousands of lives in danger and cripple our health care system.”
Lodi Police Chief Sierra Brucia on Thursday said he would need to speak to the city council and City Attorney Janice Magdich to determine how his department might enforce the new order.
“We’ll have to see if we have the resources to address this,” he said. “And we’ll have to get the city attorney’s opinion on what’s legal, what falls under the purview of non-essential businesses, and then see what the council’s direction is before we move forward.”
The California Highway Patrol issued a statement late Thursday saying officers will continue to patrol throughout the state and using their judgment to conduct enforcement stops for violations of the law.
On Monday, the state pulled an emergency brake in the Blueprint for a Safer Economy putting more than 94 percent of California’s population in the most restrictive tier. The state will reassess data continuously and move more counties back into a more restrictive tier, if necessary. California is also strengthening its face covering guidance to require individuals to wear a mask whenever outside their home, with limited exceptions.
Late last week, the state issued a travel advisory, along with Oregon and Washington, urging people entering the state or returning home from travel outside the state to selfquarantine to slow the spread of the virus. The travel advisory urges against non-essential outof-state travel, asks people to self-quarantine for 14 days after arriving from another state or country, and encourages residents to stay local.