California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday plans to raise regional home stay orders statewide, allowing restaurants to resume outdoor dining amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to a report.
Sources informed of the governor’s plans told the Los Angeles Times that all counties will return to a system of color levels that assigns local risk levels based on the number of cases and positivity rates.
Most counties will enter the “widespread” level of risk, which allows hairdressing salons to provide limited interior services, but restricts many other non-essential business operations.
Some elected officials and the catering industry have fought inside and outside the courts to overturn the controversial outdoor food ban, according to the newspaper.
It was not immediately known whether the action would lead to easing the rules of staying home in Los Angeles County, which has become the national epicenter of the outbreak, the newspaper reported.
In less than a month, more than 5,000 people have died from the disease in the county alone, according to the media.
As case numbers increased, Newsom announced regional orders to stay home on Dec. 3 in an effort to reduce the burden on hospitals.
Although state data show that hospital systems in Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley remain tense, the governor’s official told officials Sunday that models projecting ICU capacity in these areas will pass the 15 percent (a threshold for lifting the unemployed) next month.
