SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Faced with a dire shortage of hospital beds, California’s San Joaquin Valley was placed under a sweeping new lockdown Saturday in an urgent attempt to slow the rapid rise of coronavirus cases.
The Fresno County Department of Public Health announced that the San Joaquin Valley, which includes 12 counties and the city of Fresno, will face the new restrictions on businesses and activities starting Sunday.
Much of the state, including Southern California, is on the brink of the same restrictions, and some regions have opted to impose them even before the state mandate kicks in.
Officials in the San Joaquin Valley said intensive care unit capacity has fallen below the 15% threshold that triggers the new measures. The rules bar all on-site restaurant dining and close hair and nail salons, movie theaters and many other businesses, as well as museums and playgrounds.
