California shuts down again as US coronavirus crisis expands
- Governor Gavin Newsom shuts bars and bans indoor dining statewide, closing churches, gyms and hair salons in hardest hit counties
- State’s two largest school districts will have online classes only when lessons resume in fall, despite Trump’s push for US schools to reopen
California’s governor ordered a retreat on Monday from the state’s reopening as coronavirus cases soared and the state’s two largest school districts, Los Angeles and San Diego, announced all learning will be online-only when classes resume in a few weeks.
California Governor Gavin Newsom shut bars and banned indoor restaurant dining statewide, while closing churches, gyms and hair salons in the hardest hit counties.
Newsom acted as coronavirus cases strained hospitals in several rural counties and as infections mounted in Los Angeles and parts of the San Francisco Bay Area.
The number of people hospitalised in California with Covid-19 has risen by 28 per cent over the past two weeks, with a 20 per cent increase in those needing intensive care, Newsom said during a conference call with reporters in the state capital of Sacramento.
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US surpasses 3 million coronavirus cases, as White House pushes to reopen schools
Statewide, 6,485 patients were hospitalised with coronavirus as of Sunday, with 1,833 of them requiring intensive care, according to state data.
Los Angeles is the second largest school district in the United States and with San Diego has a combined 706,000 students and 88,000 employees.