New California stay-home order weighed as COVID hospitalizations surge
By Sharon Bernstein and Steve Gorman
© Reuters/MIKE BLAKE
People wear masks as they walk along the side walk during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease in California
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Reuters) – California Governor Gavin Newsom said on Monday he may impose tougher coronavirus restrictions over the next two days, including a possible stay-at-home order, to counter surging COVID-19 hospitalizations that threaten to overwhelm intensive care units.
Newsom said projections show ICU admissions are on track to exceed statewide capacity by mid-December unless public health policies and social behavior patterns are altered to curb the spread of the virus.
Last week, Newsom instituted a curfew barring social gatherings and other non-essential activities across most of the state between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. daily.
The curfew and other constraints placed on social and economic activity across California, a state of some 40 million people, already represent some of the