California imposes overnight curfew to curb COVID-19

California is imposing an overnight curfew on most residents as the most populous state tries to head off a surge in coronavirus cases that it fears could tax its health care system, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday.

What officials call a limited stay-at-home order requires people not working essential jobs to stay home from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. starting Saturday. The order will last until Dec. 21 but could be extended if infection rates and disease trends don't improve.

The curfew covers 94% of the state's nearly 40 million residents. It's in place in 41 of the state's 58 counties with the most significant increases in virus cases and faces the most severe restrictions under California's system for reopening the economy.

It's a swift escalation just days after the state-imposed the tougher restrictions limiting business operations in those 41 counties. It comes as COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations, and deaths are surging nationwide ahead of Thanksgiving when many will be tempted to gather with family and friends.

"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 stopping the surge. We sound the alarm," Newsom said in a statement.

"Even our everyday activities become a higher risk," California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said at the news conference.

Hospitalizations are up nearly 64% in 14 days, while the positivity rate has jumped from less than 3% to a seven-day rate of 5.6%, he said. The state recorded 11,478 cases Thursday, and about 12% of those cases will be hospitalized in the next two weeks, Ghaly said.