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Los Angeles County and California State near lockdown after “safer-at-home” mandate is announced

pharmafile | March 20, 2020 | News story | Medical Communications Wuhan Coronavirus, china coronavirus, coronavirus 

Last night, Los Angeles County, and later California State, announced a mandate to make people work and stay at home unless they are vital to the fight against the COVID-19 coronavirus.

The order also requires all non-essential businesses, like museums, retail shops and shopping malls to close.

Los Angeles County Supervisor, Kathryn Barger, said: “The order is the next step to protecting our residents from the coronavirus by increasing our social distancing. We know that staying at home and decreasing contact is the best way to halt the spread.”

This was followed an hour later by California introducing similar measures.

Governor Gavin Newson issued a statewide stay-at-home order, encompassing all 40 million residents of California. In a newsbreifing he told reporters that: ““Californians must do what is necessary to meet this moment and help bend the curve. It’s time for all of us to recognize as individuals and as a community we need to do more.

“The economic disruption caused by this public health crisis will have immediate and devastating effects on our entire country, including too many families in California. The magnitude of the crisis is extraordinary and federal-state-local government will be more critical than ever before.”

California currently has 958 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 19 deaths. Newsom expects the virus to infect half of California over the next eight weeks, and has asked Congress for $1 billion in federal funds to support the state’s medical response.

Conor Kavanagh

 

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