SACRAMENTO (KRON/AP) – Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday announced he is requiring most counties to roll back into more restrictive tiers, including five in the Bay Area.
This comes as California and Texas last week each marked more than 1 million confirmed COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic.
“We are sounding the alarm,” Newsom said. “California is experiencing the fastest increase in cases we have seen yet – faster than what we experienced at the outset of the pandemic or even this summer. The spread of COVID-19, if unchecked, could quickly overwhelm our health care system and lead to catastrophic outcomes.”
Newsom said the state has prepared for this moment of a surge in coronavirus case, with 11 surge facilities throughout the state.
The action that Newsom called the “emergency brake in the Blueprint for a Safer Economy” wioll impose new restrictions on businesses across most of the state.
He said masks would now be required outside homes with limited exceptions.
The following counties will be moved back to the most restrictive, or purple, tier:
- Alameda
- Napa
- Santa Cruz
- Butte
- Nevada
- Siskiyou
- Contra Costa
- Orange
- Solano
- El Dorado
- Placer
- Sutter
- Fresno
- San Benito
- Trinity
- Glenn
- San Joaquin
- Tuolumne
- Kern
- San Luis
- Obispo
- Ventura
- Kings
- Mendocino
- Merced
- Santa Barbara
- Santa Clara
- Yolo
- Yuba
San Francisco, Marin, and San Mateo will be moved to the second most restrictive, or red tier — along with six other counties.
Governor Newsom also confirmed he is considering implementing a state-wide curfew in California. The decision on this isn’t final, he says it’s being assessed.
Eleven counties were forced into more restrictive tiers last week.
California was the first in the U.S. to issue a statewide stay-at-home order back in March.
Additionally, Newsom joined the governors of Oregon and Washington and issued travel advisories Friday urging people entering or returning to their states to self-quarantine to slow the spread of the coronavirus as infections spike across the U.S.
Just days ago Newsom acknowledged he attended a birthday party with a dozen friends on Nov. 6 at the posh French Laundry restaurant in Napa County.
“While our family followed the restaurant’s health protocols and took safety precautions, we should have modeled better behavior and not joined the dinner,” he said in a statement.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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