, as the coronavirus crisis spirals out of control with a speed that has exceeded health officials’ most dire projections.representing 84% of the state’s population. The state mandated the restrictions in the Southland and Central Valley as capacity at hospitals’ intensive care units hit dangerously low levels. Five Bay Area counties will also begin lockdown restrictions in the coming days despite not yet reaching the threshold at which such action is mandated by the state.
hair and nail salons, playgrounds, zoos, museums, card rooms, aquariums and wineries. Nonessential travel and use of hotels for leisure will be banned, as will overnight, short-term stays at campgrounds. All retail can remain open, but at 20% capacity.The rules will remain in place for at least three weeks. Los Angeles has been under a modified stay-at-home order since Monday.
The stay-at-home order — the latest in a series of attempts to slow the spread of the coronavirus and prevent local healthcare systems from becoming overwhelmed — is triggered when a region’s ICU capacity drops below 15%. On Saturday, Southern California’s ICU capacity was 12.5%, and the San Joaquin Valley’s was 8.6%, according to data released by the state.
In L.A. County, COVID-19 hospitalizations increased to 2,855 on Friday from 2,769 on Thursday; for comparison, there were about 750 in mid-October. The number will probably continue to rise, as 49,000 people tested positive over the past week, and about 10% of them are expected to require hospital care, Barbara Ferrer, the county health director, said Saturday.
San Luis Obispo County issued a similar statement, saying its ICU capacity is higher than that of most other counties in the Southern California region. Bartlett noted that Orange County’s ICU capacity is more than 20%, compared with the regional availability of 12.5%. By being forced to shut down or reduce operations, she said, some business sectors, like restaurants and theme parks, are being “unfairly punished” by the new rules.