California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) announced Monday he's pulling the "emergency brake" as the coronavirus pandemic spreads uncontrolled across the state.
After California's total coronavirus cases surpassed 1 million, most counties will return to the state's most restrictive reopening tier, Newsom announced. That means restaurants, churches, and gyms will have to shut down their indoor operations entirely, while other businesses will have to cut their capacities. California also joined Oregon and Washington on Friday in implementing a travel advisory telling residents to avoid traveling and quarantine if they do.
As the average daily case counts in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. returned to early-pandemic highs, the area also implemented a range of new restrictions. Starting Monday, Virginia restricted both indoor and outdoor gatherings to 25 people and cut capacity at businesses. Maryland's most populous counties surrounding D.C. capped indoor gatherings at 10 people and outdoor gatherings at 25.
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Philadelphia meanwhile shut down indoor dining, museums, and gyms, and restricted private gatherings as people failed to wear masks and properly socially distance in the city. Michigan, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, and Washington also implemented new restrictions over the weekend as coronavirus cases and hospitalizations skyrocket to new records across the country. The U.S. has regularly seen more than 100,000 new COVID-19 cases for the past week, and that number is only continually growing.
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