Santa Clara County To Go Under Coronavirus Curfew

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CA — Santa Clara County will join most of the state going on an overnight curfew later this week.

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday imposed a 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew on all 41 counties in the most restrictive purple tier of the state’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy.

The curfew goes into effect Saturday for around 94 percent of the state’s population living in counties in the purple tier.

The curfew expires Dec. 21.

"The virus is spreading at a pace we haven't seen since the start of this pandemic and the next several days and weeks will be critical to stop the surge. We are sounding the alarm," Newsom said in a news release.

"It is crucial that we act to decrease transmission and slow hospitalizations before the death count surges. We've done it before and we must do it again."

People in the same household may leave their home, as long as they are not interacting or gathering with people from another household, according to the order.

The order does not apply to people who are homeless or people who work in jobs considered by the state to be essential.

The news comes days after state officials pulled the "emergency brake" amid a surge in cases of the coronavirus and announced plans to move 40 counties backward on the state's COVID-19 risk assessment. More than nine in 10 California now live in a purple tier county.

Last week, the state issued a travel advisory and called for anyone arriving in the Golden State after recreational travel to self-quarantine for 14 days. The advisory applies to Californians returning home after traveling outside of their home state and visitors from elsewhere who are arriving in California. Travelers are asked to interact only with their immediate household.

COVID-19 cases in the Golden State increased by about 50 percent during the first week of November, according to the state.

As of Thursday, 1,059,267 Californians had tested positive for COVID-19 and 18,466 deaths were linked to the virus.

Read the full order here.

See Also:

• CA 'Panic Shopping' 2.0: Walmart, Costco Supplies Low Again
• Californians Now Required To Wear Face Masks Outside Their Homes

— Patch editors Courtney Teague and Gideon Rubin contributed to this report