Rayne Frantzen
Breaking News Beat Reporter
Governor Gavin Newsom and the Santa Barbara County Department of Public Health issued an order this past Thursday to undergo curfew due to COVID-19, which prohibits Californians from leaving the home for non-essential gatherings and work.
According to the California Department of Public Health, this order excludes homeless people or “activities associated with the operation, maintenance, or usage of critical infrastructure, or required by law.”
The COVID-19 curfew started on Saturday, Nov. 21, and will continue on a daily basis until Dec. 21 from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.
With the virus increasing rapidly, the California Department of Public Health explained that the limited stay-at-home order will reduce opportunities for disease transmission with the goal of decreasing the number of hours individuals are in the community and mixing with individuals outside of their household.
The California Department of Public Health is motivated to decrease the number of the virus transmission for the Winter season as well as the number of hospitalizations for the next few weeks, which will help reduce the burden to the essential workers in a hospital.
Everyone is advised to stay at home and follow safety protocols, such as wearing a mask approved by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and implementing social distancing to decrease the spread of the virus.