California, Ohio Order Nightly Curfews to Curb Infections

On Thursday, California's governor imposed a curfew on social events and other non-essential activities in one of the most intrusive restrictions ordered across the country to curb the unprecedented increase in new coronaviral infections.

The stay-at-home order will come into effect from 10 p.m. Before five o'clock. Every day, beginning on Saturday night and ending on the morning of Dec. 21, 41 of California's 58 counties and the overwhelming majority of its population, Governor Gavin Newsom said, reports Reuters.

“The virus is spreading at a pace we haven’t seen since the start of this pandemic, and the next several days and weeks will be critical to stopping the surge,” Newsom, a Democrat, said in a statement announcing the measure a week before the Thanksgiving holiday.

Similar to 10 p.m.-to-5 a.m. Curfew was released in Ohio on Thursday and will remain in place for the next 21 days, said Governor Mike DeWine, a Republican.

As in California, the Ohio curfew does not ban grocery stores from staying open after 10 p.m. or keep restaurants from remaining open late for take-out orders. Individuals will also be able to venture out for food, medical care, or other necessities, as well as to take a stroll or walk a dog.

In California, the restriction effectively means a return to the first-in-the-nation, state-wide home-stay order imposed by Newsom in March, except that it applies only during the specified curfew hours rather than around the clock.

Signs of a recurring public health epidemic have appeared more strongly across the world, with officials forced to withdraw from cautious measures to normalize everyday life during a brief pandemic period.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a “strong recommendation” on Thursday that Americans refrain from traveling for the holiday.

Later in the day, President-elect Joe Biden emerged from a teleconference with a bipartisan group of 10 governors saying they had discussed a possible universal face-mask requirement - an idea Biden has strenuously advocated as a “patriotic duty.”