Stay-at-home orders currently in effect in the Bay Area and three other California regions will likely remain in place past the minimum three-week duration, state officials affirmed on Dec. 25.
The state's stay-at-home order is triggered when a region's average intensive care unit capacity falls below 15%. The Bay Area, greater Sacramento, the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California regions are under the order at present, the California Department of Public Health said.
The earliest date the Bay Area may become eligible to exit the order is Jan. 8, the state department said. Greater Sacramento could become eligible to exit the order as early as Jan. 1, while the San Joaquin and Southern California regions could possibly become eligible this coming Monday, Dec. 28.
The available ICU capacity in the latter two regions is down to a grim 0%, according to the California Department of Public Health. In the Bay Area, ICU capacity is at 9.8%, and in greater Sacramento, ICU capacity is 16.7%, the department said.
The prediction was in line with a Monday announcement from Gov. Gavin Newsom. The governor said on Dec. 21 that skyrocketing COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations would probably keep the stay-at-home orders in effect for multiple regions across the state.
On Friday, the health department said California has 2,042,290 confirmed cases to date, though numbers may not represent true day-over-day change as reporting of test results can be delayed.
—Bay City News