[ad_1]
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – California lifted regional stay-at-home orders statewide on Monday in response to improving coronavirus conditions, returning the state to a county-by-county system of restrictions.
The order was in place in the San Francisco Bay Area, the San Joaquin Valley, and southern California, covering the majority of the state’s counties.
The change will allow businesses such as restaurants to resume outdoor activities in many areas, although local authorities may choose to maintain stricter rules. The state is also lifting a 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew.
“Together, we changed our business knowing that our short-term sacrifices would lead to longer-term gains. COVID-19 is still here and still deadly, so our work is not done, but it is important to recognize that our collective actions have saved lives and we are taking a critical turn ”, said Dr Tomas Aragon, Director state public health, in a statement.
Governor Gavin Newsom was due to address the public later Monday. Public officials in some of California’s major cities and counties have said they may lift local restrictions soon.
“We’re going to move forward with some limited reopening, including alfresco dining and personal services,” San Francisco Mayor London Breed said in a tweet.
Orange County also has plans to lift some restrictions, said Jessica Good, spokesperson for the county health agency. In Los Angeles County, home to 10 million people, Republican Supervisor Kathryn Barger has expressed support for opening up outdoor restaurants, personal care services and other industries and said the state was to balance public health with “the devastating social, emotional and economic impacts of this virus”. Los Angeles County public health officials are expected to hold a briefing later Monday.
The state’s move came amid improving trends in the rate of infections, hospitalizations and intensive care unit capacity in California. as well as vaccinations.
Newsom, a Democrat, imposed the stay-at-home order in December as coronavirus cases worsened.
Under this system, a multi-county region had to shut down most businesses and order people to stay in their homes if ICU capacity fell below 15%. An 11-county region in northern California was never under the order, and the Greater Sacramento area left the order last week. State makes decisions based on four-week projections showing improvement in ICU capacity, but officials have not released the data behind the forecast.
Over the weekend, the capacity of intensive care units in the San Francisco Bay area jumped to 23% while the agricultural region of the San Joaquin Valley increased to 1.3%, its first time. above zero. The vast, most populous region of Southern California remains at zero intensive care capacity.
Republicans said Newsom was relaxing the rules in response to political pressure and the threat of a recall. Republican organizers have until mid-March to gather 1.5 million signatures to force a recall against Newsom, who is halfway through his first term.
“The decisions of this governor were never based on science. The reopening of our state is not an attempt to help Californian workers, but rather an attempt to counter the recall movement. It’s sad and pathetic, ”tweeted Republican Party of California President Jessica Millan Patterson tweeted.
Early last year, the state developed a color tier system that dictated the level of restrictions on businesses and individuals based on viral conditions in each of California’s 58 counties.
Most counties will now revert to the most restrictive purple level, which allows for open-air dining, hair and nail salons, and outdoor church services. Bars that only serve drinks cannot be opened.
The county-by-county-level system uses a variety of metrics to determine the risk of community transmission and apply a color code – purple, red, orange, or yellow – that are widespread, substantial, moderate, and minimal, respectively.
Over the weekend, California had recorded more than 3.1 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 36,790 deaths, according to the state’s public health website.
___
Antczak reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press reporters Janie Har in San Francisco and Amy Taxin in Orange County contributed.
[ad_2]
Source link