California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday night made a state-wide order, directing all California residents to stay inside their homes amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The directive went into effect immediately Thursday evening, with the governor saying he was confident that California residents “will abide by it and do the right thing.”
“They’ll meet this moment. They’ll step up — as they have over the course of the last number of weeks — to protect themselves, to protect their families and to protect the broader community,” Gov. Newsom said of state residents during a press conference.
“This Order is being issued to protect the public health of Californians,” the order read. “The California Department of Public Health looks to establish consistency across the state in order to ensure that we mitigate the impact of COVID-19.
“Our goal is simply, we want to bend the curve, and disrupt the spread of the virus.”
State residents will continue to have access to food, prescriptions and health care.
“When people need to leave their homes or places of residence… they should at all times practice social distancing,” the order stated.
The state’s healthcare delivery system will remain in place with prioritized resources, including personal protective equipment for healthcare providers.
A total of 16 “critical infrastructure sectors” are exempted from the order. A complete list can be found at www.cisa.gov/critical-infrastructure-sectors/.
