California’s 40 million residents have been ordered to stay at home in light of new projections that the state could be hard hit by coronavirus. The governor took the move Thursday night, citing a stunning prediction by state health officials that 56% of the state’s residents will get the virus in the next eight weeks.
As part of the order, all nonessential businesses need to close, and travel needs to be limited to essential things, like to the store or the doctor’s office.
However, officials emphasize it is voluntary, is not martial law, and the National Guard has not been deployed for law enforcement.
You can still do things like walk the dog, but public gatherings are banned. The only time you should leave home is for essential activities.
As of 7 p.m. Thursday, officials are reporting there are now 34 documented cases of coronavirus in the region. Ventura County has 13, San Luis Obispo County 13, and Santa Barbara County eight.
