Gov. Gavin Newsom threatens ‘drastic’ new lockdown order

California Governor Gavin Newsom said on Monday that a new “drastic” lockdown order may be needed if coronavirus cases in the state continue to reach their highest levels since the start of the pandemic.

The Democratic governor made the remarks at a press conference after Thanksgiving weekend, in which some 50 million people were expected to travel despite the tightening of restrictions. Health officials have warned that more and more cases could result from the holiday gatherings.

Newsom said officials are considering stay-at-home orders for areas with the highest case rates as they try to allay fears that severe coronavirus cases could triple hospitalizations and overwhelm intensive care beds .

“Red flags are flying in terms of the trajectory in our growth projections,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said. “If these trends continue, we are going to have to take much more dramatic, arguably drastic, action.”

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In the past two weeks, hospitalizations have increased by 89%. As of Monday, nearly 7,800 coronavirus patients were hospitalized. About 12% of Californians who test positive will likely need hospital care within the next two to three weeks.

“Current projections show that hospitalizations could increase to two to three times the current amount in a month,” Newsom said.

The biggest concern is in intensive care cases, which have increased 67% in the past two weeks. If this continues, it would bring intensive care beds to 112% of their capacity by mid-December.

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This statistic is likely to motivate state-imposed home support orders in 51 of the 58 counties in California that already face the most restrictions on business activities, said Dr Mark Ghaly, Secretary of State for Health and to Social Services.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.