BREAKING NEWS: COVID-19 cases have doubled over the span of 10 days

California Governor Gavin Newsom gave an alarming update on the increasing rates of the COVID-19 cases in a press conference Monday, November 16. He compared the number of counties in California in the purple tier this week to that of last week. There was a stark increase in the number of counties in the purple tier, which is the most restrictive tier, from 13 counties last week to 41 counties this week, including San Bernardino. 

In a span of ten days, the number of COVID-19 cases has doubled, resulting in 94.1% of California being in the restrictive tier.  “California is experiencing the fastest increase in cases we have seen yet –faster than what we experienced at the outset of the pandemic or even this summer,” said Governor Newsom. With this drastic increase of cases, California will be put under new restrictions and a statewide curfew is still under consideration. “…we have experienced a rise in infections, which has led to new restrictions from the State of California and reduced our ability to continue reopening our County,” explained San Bernardino County. In order to help reduce the number of cases you should continue to practice social distancing and wearing a face mask when coming into contact with others.

“We are sounding the alarm,” expressed Governor Newsom, considering the severity of the situation at hand, there has been “an emergency brake” on the reopening blueprint for a safer economy. With such uncertainty, the chances of returning to school through blended learning this year does not seem likely. As the Coronavirus cases continue to rise, it is in the best interest of the health of the community that citizens continue to follow the COVID-19 guidelines. “The data we are seeing is very concerning. We are in the midst of a surge, and time is of the essence. Every day matters and every decision matters,” said California Health and Human Services Secretary, Dr. Mark Ghaly.

With the help of https://covid19.ca.gov/safer-economy/ community members are able to check the status of their counties along with any updates. This will allow the community to stay informed and up to date with the current regulations being implemented as the county-based changes, information, and current trends of COVID-19 cases changes daily. “Personal decisions are critical, and I am imploring every Californian to stay home if they can, wear a mask whenever they leave their homes, limit mixing, practice physical distancing and wash their hands,” pleaded Governor Newsom.