California Governor Issues Stay-At-Home Order For Entire State

The Governor of California, Gavin Newsom, has issued a statewide stay-at-home order to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

What Happened

Governor Newsom issued the order on Thursday night and asked residents of the state to leave home only when necessary, reported NBC News.

The governor’s orders were announced less than an hour after officials in Los Angeles issued similar instructions while also asking that non-essential retail establishments to close.

The shutdown will affect California's 40 million inhabitants. During the announcement, Newsom added, "This is a moment we need to make tough decisions. We need to recognize reality.” 

Newsom’s office tweeted, “Governor @GavinNewsom issued a stay at home order to protect the health and well-being of all Californians and to establish consistency across the state in order to slow the spread of #COVID19.”

The governor hoped people would voluntarily obey the stay-at-home order and said, “there's a social contract here.” It'll be enforced at midnight (Pacific time).

Why It Matters

The number of COVID-19 infections in California reached 675 as of Thursday afternoon, according to the California Department of Public Health. The majority, 448 cases, are in the 18-64 year old age group.

Governor Newsom has asked President Donald Trump to deploy a U.S. Navy medical ship to the port of Los Angeles to help the state fight the pandemic. He warned that more than half of California's residents could be infected if no efforts were made to combat the disease, reported Marketwatch.

Nationwide, cases stand at 11,238, while globally, there are 236,384 cases. 

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