California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom said he is pulling an “emergency brake” on plans to reopen the state as the entire state is seeing explosive growth in new confirmed cases, Politico reports.
The nation’s most populous state will reimplement restrictions on in 41 of California’s 58 counties, impacting 94% of California’s population. The renewed restrictions will mean churches, indoor dining and gyms will remain closed until the state deems them safe to reopen.
The need for the shutdown became urgent as the number of infections throughout the state skyrocketed. “Bottom line is, we’re moving from a marathon to a sprint,” Newsom said.
Previously, California would announce changes in its coronavirus restrictions on Tuesdays to give businesses a chance to phase into compliance. Newsom said that is no longer a luxury the state can afford given the speed of the outbreaks.
“We are sounding the alarm,” Newsom said. “California is experiencing the fastest increase in cases we have seen yet — faster than what we experienced at the outset of the pandemic or even this summer. The spread of Covid-19, if left unchecked, could quickly overwhelm our health care system and lead to catastrophic outcomes.”