California governor Gavin Newsom has ordered all indoor restaurants, bars, and movie theaters across the state to close, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Other indoor spaces such as zoos and museums have also been ordered to close in 30 counties on a "state watch list" where gyms, churches, malls, and barbershops are now also closed.
More than 80% percent of California’s population lives in those 30 counties.
Newsom told reporters that the new regulations were essential given the continued rise in Covid-19 transmissions and hospitalizations, with some hospitals nearing ICU capacity.
“This virus is not going away any time soon,” he said. “It’s incumbent upon all of us to recognize soberly that COVID -19 is not going away any time soon, until there is a vaccine and/or an effective therapy.”