Los Angeles County officials and California’s governor have ordered residents county- and statewide to stay at home after midnight Thursday in an effort to slow the spread and “flatten the curve” of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Supervisor Kathryn Barger, chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, held a press conference Thursday to announce the county’s “Safer at Home” public health order, signed by L.A. County Health Officer Dr. Muntu Davis.

Governor Gavin Newsom also took to Facetime early Thursday evening to speak to the state’s residents about his “Stay at Home” order, issued Thursday afternoon.

Los Angeles County Order
Barger was joined by L.A. County Department of Public Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, along with Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia and Pasadena Mayor Terry Tornek, who both have health departments in their cities.

Under the “Safer at Home” guidelines, L.A. County has directed residents to refrain from gathering in an enclosed space with more than 10 people. First responders and those in healthcare, government, food services, and other essential industries will still be on the job. The order directs businesses deemed nonessential, such as retail stores and malls, to close temporarily.

“This is the next step in protecting our communities from the coronavirus and will have invaluable long-term effects,” Barger said. “This order will increase social distancing while still enabling residents to shop for essential items at the market, pharmacy, and hardware store, and still be able to visit the bank or gas station.”

Barger encouraged L.A. County residents to find ways to give back, including supporting local businesses, checking in on their elderly neighbors, donating funds to local nonprofits, assembling hygiene kits for those in need, or giving blood.

“We know this will have an impact on the social fabric of L.A. County,” Barger said. “We still encourage people to stay connected to their community and their loved ones in creative ways and to spend much-needed time outdoors. Being Safer at Home doesn’t mean being alone—you are still an important part of your community.”

Visit lacounty.gov for more information, including updates on closures, food services, and utility relief.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health will continue to share updates at publichealth.lacounty.gov.

Read the county order here.

State of California Order
Californians were ordered to stay home on Thursday as Governor Gavin Newsom made the monumental order in an effort to curb the rise of COVID-19 infections among the 40 million residents in the state.

“We direct a statewide order for people to stay at home. That directive goes into force this evening,” Newsom said. “This is not a permanent state, this is a moment in time. If we are to be criticized, let us be criticized for taking this moment seriously and for meeting this virus full force.”

Newsom said pandemic preparation scenarios state officials have gone over for years are now being put into action. In a scenario where 56% of Californians become infected by the novel coronavirus, the state would have shortfall of 10,000 available hospital beds.

In California, there are 416 hospitals, with approximately 78,000 available beds and the ability to surge beyond that is a real scenario, Newsom said. If there were just 20% who needed hospitalization, about 19,500 who became severely ill, the state would be short about 10,000 beds.

“That’s currently what we’re up against,” Newsom said.

But that scenario is just a “planning doc” said Newsom, which is why he ordered the home isolation to slow the spread of the infection across the state.

Approximately 21.3 million other residents in communities across the state are under similar orders.

Essential Services will Remain Open, Including:

* Gas stations
* Pharmacies
* Food: Grocery stores, farmers markets, food banks, convenience stores, take-out and delivery restaurants
* Banks
* Laundromats/laundry services

Essential state and local government functions will also remain open, including law enforcement and offices that provide government programs and services.

What’s closed?
* Dine-in restaurants
* Bars and nightclubs
* Entertainment venues
* Gyms and fitness studios
* Public events and gatherings
* Convention Centers

Read the state order here.

More on Los Angeles County’s Order
Los Angeles County announced the closure of all non-essential retail businesses on Thursday in an order that extends to more than 10 million residents in an attempt to slow the spread of the Covid-19 virus and bars the gathering of 10 or more people in enclosed spaces.

Several hours earlier LA County health officials announced the second death of an infected person due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, the 19th death in California. LA County’s order goes into effect at midnight and will remain in place through April 19, the latest effort to promote social distancing in one of the largest and densely populated counties in the Golden State.

“Nobody is locked down,” said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti at a Thursday evening press conference. “This is stay at home, because you’re safer at home.”

Garcetti added, “We need to be painfully honest about how life is going to change for a while.”

Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said, “We know this will have an impact on the social fabric of our communities.”

While not as severe as San Francisco’s shelter in place, LA County’s own “Stay Safe At Home” policy will allow markets, pharmacies, banks, hardware stores, gas stations, childcare services and food banks to remain open.

There are currently 231 infected individuals in LA County, including the cities of Pasadena and Long Beach and 2 deaths, with the most recent being an individual that health officials describe as a “young person” with underlying health conditions.

Approximately 1,700 people have been tested as of Thursday, according to LA County Department of Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer.

Under the “Stay Safe At Home” order, for-profit businesses will be ordered to close and bars any gatherings outside of a single home.

Sacramento County made its own “Shelter in Place” directive mandatory starting at midnight, which directs all businesses and governmental agencies to stop all non-essential operations at physical locations. The Sacramento order also prohibits any non-essential travel.

This is a developing story; more information will be added as it becomes available.

Nathan Solis, Courthouse News Service, contributed to this story.

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Always check with trusted sources such as those below for the latest accurate information about novel coronavirus COVID-19:

Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

World Health Organization

City of Santa Clarita

Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital