LA Theaters to Stay Closed for 3 More Weeks as COVID-19 Cases Continue to Rise
California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Thursday a “regional” stay-at-home order that will close businesses like movie theaters in regions with less than 15% availability in hospital intensive care units.
Included in the closures will also be hair salons, personal care services, museums and bars. Restaurants will be limited to just take-out and delivery, while retail businesses can only operate at a maximum 20% capacity. Private gatherings of any size will also be prohibited.
The order will go into effect on Saturday for the affected regions and remain in place for at least three weeks. Newsom did not specify which regions were affected.
The regions are categorized as follows:
- Northern California: Del Norte, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Mendocino, Modoc, Shasta, Siskiyou, Tehama, Trinity
- Bay Area: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Monterey, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma
- Greater Sacramento: Alpine, Amador, Butte, Colusa, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, Sierra, Sutter, Yolo, Yuba
- San Joaquin Valley: Calaveras, Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, San Benito, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Tulare, Tuolumne
- Southern California: Imperial, Inyo, Los Angeles, Mono, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura
HERF Financial AID
The CARES Act saw Congress authorize $14 billion in funding for U.S. colleges and universities through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HERF) and institutions must spend at least half of that on financial aid grants to students to cover living expenses such as housing, health care and food.