Covid-19: California to ban gatherings and non-essential activities

The governor of California announced Thursday, December 3 that non-essential gatherings and activities will be banned in all areas where the Covid-19 pandemic is likely to overwhelm hospital services.

These restrictions will come into effect in areas where intensive care units are more than 85% full, which could happen within

for some areas of the state, Governor Gavin Newsom said.

Read also: Covid-19: part of California under curfew for a month

By virtue of this

, all gatherings bringing together members of different households will be prohibited, as well as “non-essential” travel and services (aesthetics, hairdressing, etc.).

Bars will be closed and restaurants will only be able to offer take-out meals and retail businesses will be limited to 20% of their capacity.

Schools which already benefit from derogatory measures will be able to remain open, as will

.

California had already declared a curfew limiting travel between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. in the counties most affected by Covid-19, but this was not enough to reverse the trend.

More than 1.26 million cases and 19,400 deaths have been recorded since the start of the epidemic.

"If we don't act now, our hospital system is going to be overwhelmed,"

Gavin Newsom insisted, highlighting alarming figures.

he said.

Read also: Covid: in California, prisoners embezzled hundreds of millions of dollars from the aid fund

Once triggered, these restrictions will remain in place for

and will not be lifted until less than 85% of intensive care beds are occupied.

Additional restrictions had already been implemented this week in Los Angeles County, densely populated and hard hit by the coronavirus.

Even the San Francisco area, relatively untouched so far, is still expected to reach the fateful threshold between mid-December and the end of the year, Governor Newsom warned.