California Gov. Gavin Newsom has announced a stay-at-home order for counties within the purple tier of the state’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy — which includes Contra Costa County — with the aim of slowing the spread of COVID-19.
The Stay at Home Order requires that non-essential work, movement and gatherings stop between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. The order will take effect at 10 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 21 and remain in effect until 5 a.m. Dec. 21.
“This is the same as the March Stay at Home Order, but applied only between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. and only in purple tier counties that are seeing the highest rates of positive cases and hospitalizations,” the governor’s office said.
“The virus is spreading at a pace we haven’t seen since the start of this pandemic and the next several days and weeks will be critical to stop the surge. We are sounding the alarm,” said Governor Newsom. “It is crucial that we act to decrease transmission and slow hospitalizations before the death count surges. We’ve done it before and we must do it again.”
The governor’s office cited a doubling of case rates in the state during the first week of November for the latest restriction. Officials say the aim is to prevent overwhelming the state’s healthcare system.
Contra Costa County was among dozens of counties statewide that were recently bounced back from the less-restrictive red and orange tiers in the state’s reopening system to the purple tier due to rising cases and hospitalizations.
California also recently strengthened its face covering guidance to require individuals to wear a mask whenever outside their home, with limited exceptions, and issued a travel advisory urging people entering the state or returning home from travel outside the state to self-quarantine to slow the spread of the virus. The travel advisory urges against non-essential out-of-state travel.
