OAKLAND — California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered widespread closures of indoor operations by tomorrow as the state faces its fastest surge in cases since the pandemic began, pulling what he called the "emergency brake" on 94 percent of residents.
Newsom said he was compelled to act by a case surge that is “simply without precedent in California’s pandemic history.
”"Bottom line is, we're moving from a marathon to a sprint," Newsom said.
That has led Newsom to accelerate the process, ensuring 41 of California's 58 counties will have to shut churches, indoor dining and gyms until the state deems them safe for operation.
Some counties will drop multiple tiers to land in the most restrictive tier, Newsom said, and their timeline to comply will be compressed from 72 hours to 24 hours.
While the state's approach so far has allowed for variation among counties, Newsom said a spike in cases has prevailed across the state rather than in isolated areas and has hit every age group. "We are seeing community spread broadly," he said.