Hispanics in California facing the health and economic crisis 5:00
(CNN) ––
Millions of people in California could face a new regional lockdown due to COVID-19, under the new restrictions announced Thursday by Governor Gavin Newsom.
The new order will be implemented in California regions where hospitals are under pressure on their ability to treat the surge in COVID-19 patients.
A strict confinement order will go into effect 48 hours after hospital capacity for the intensive care unit drops below 15% in one of five regions the state is divided into: Northern California, Bay Area , Greater Sacramento, San Joaquin Valley and Southern California.
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“We are at a turning point in our fight against the virus.
And we need to take decisive action now to prevent California's hospital system from becoming overburdened in the coming weeks, ”Newsom said.
The order comes as the state records a record increase in new cases and hospitalizations.
What is expected to overwhelm hospitals for Christmas.
The state added 18,591 additional cases Thursday, bringing the total to 1.2 million.
California hospitals currently treat 2,066 patients for Covid-19, according to data from the state health department.
It is the highest number so far in the pandemic.
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None of the five regions currently meet the threshold.
However, state officials project that four of the areas will fall below 15% of UCI's capacity in the first part of December.
They also estimate that the Bay Area will continue in mid to late December, Newsom said.
The five regions include 99% of the state's 39 million residents.
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"We need to do everything we can to stem the tide" until the covid-19 vaccines are ready for the public, the California governor added.
Once the new confinement order is activated in a region, it will remain in effect for three weeks.
However, it could be extended much more.
Schools that are already open for face-to-face learning can remain open.
Like critical infrastructure companies.
Retail businesses can also stay open, but at 20% capacity, and restaurants are limited to take-out and home delivery.
When a region falls below 15% of UCI capacity, businesses that must close include bars, wineries, personal services like hair salons and barber shops.
Also museums, cinemas, play areas, amusement parks and indoor recreational facilities.
Travel is prohibited except when necessary for permitted activities.
Newsom said he hopes this is the last time a lockdown order is needed during the pandemic.
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"We don't anticipate having to do this one more time," Newsom said.
There is light at the end of the tunnel.
We are just months away from seeing real progress with the vaccine.
We have distribution, we have accessibility, we have availability », he completed
At the end of those three weeks, California health officials will analyze COVID-19 transmission rates and make projections of intensive care units based on that data, according to Dr. Mark Ghaly, state director of Health and Services. Humans.
What is expected to happen will be detailed using the average 12% of patients needing hospitalization.
If a county's transmission rate allows projections of ICU beds at a higher capacity, the confinement order will be lifted.
The county will then revert to the state's four-tier reopening system.
Los Angeles Mayor Tells Residents to "Cancel Everything"
The Los Angeles mayor said the city will run out of hospital beds by Christmas if the coronavirus spreads at the current rate.
So he urged residents to stay home to help stop the spread of the virus.
Residents should stay home as much as possible, the mayor said.
And he added that this is because the city faces tough decisions between "health and disease, care and apathy, life or death," Garcetti added during a press conference on Wednesday.
MIRA: The US sets a new record for hospitalizations due to covid-19
It's time to take refuge.
Time to cancel everything.
If it's not essential, don't do it, ”Garcetti said.
"Don't meet with other people outside your home, don't organize that meeting, don't attend a meeting."
The number of daily coronavirus infections in Los Angeles has tripled since the beginning of November.
Hospitalizations have more than tripled and are at a new peak, Garcetti added.
"The public health condition of our city is as serious as it was in March, during the first days of this pandemic," he said.
Los Angeles follows the trend of the rest of the country, where hospitalizations for covid-19 have skyrocketed.
The 100,226 coronavirus patients hospitalized in the U.S. this Wednesday represent the highest number reported during the pandemic, according to the Covid Tracking Project.
Health care officials across the country say their staff and facilities are struggling to support a growing number of patients.
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Los Angeles County recorded its highest number of hospitalizations and new cases of coronavirus on Tuesday since the beginning of the pandemic.
Average daily infections have increased by 225% since the first days of November, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
“All residents and all businesses must take immediate action if we want to stop this alarming increase.
We are in the midst of an accelerated increase in a pandemic of enormous magnitude, ”said Barbara Ferrer, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
Health, in a statement.
“This is not the time to circumvent or debate the security measures that protect us.
Because we need each person to use all the tools available to stop the surge and save lives.
The county, the most populous in the country with 10.5 million residents, is now under an order that prohibits all public and private gatherings with anyone outside the same household.
The ban was issued last week by the county's public health office and ends on December 20.
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All county residents are asked to stay home as much as possible.
And wear masks when outside, even when exercising.
The order reduces the maximum occupancy for essential businesses to 35%, and for non-essential businesses, personal care services and libraries to 20%.
The order came after the restaurant eating ban in Los Angeles County.
Additionally, a statewide curfew prohibits non-essential activities outside the home from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. for the majority of California's 39 million residents.
Patients requiring intensive care will exceed the capacity of hospitals, according to state projections.
Statewide, UCI capacity is projected to be 112% by mid-December.
Meanwhile, in northern California, 134% more ICU patients are expected than beds in early December.
Jon Passantino and Cheri Mossburg, both from CNN, contributed to this report.
California confinement COVID-19 Pandemic ICU
