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California’s Governor Gavin Newsom has issued a stay at home order for its 40 million residents, as cases of coronavirus continue to rise in the state.

The lockdown came into affect yesterday (March 19), and will be in place “until further notice”.

A statement on the ca.gov website said:

“The California State Public Health Officer and Director of the California Department of Public Health is ordering all individuals living in the State of California to stay home or at their place of residence, except as needed to maintain continuity of operation of the federal critical infrastructure sectors, critical government services, schools, childcare, and construction, including housing construction.”

The stay at home order covers major US cities including Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco and San Jose.

Essential services including fuels stations, pharmacies, grocery stores, take-away restaurants, banks and laundries will all remain open, but the list of services which must close includes:

  • Dine-in restaurants
  • Bars and nightclubs
  • Entertainment venues
  • Gyms and fitness studios
  • Public events and gatherings
  • Convention Centres

A tweet from Los Angeles International airport said that “LAX will continue to operate”.

And San Francisco International tweeted the following: