L.A. County, city officials announce ‘safer at home’ order requiring people to stay home, most businesses to close
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and other city and county officials on Thursday announced the “safer at home” public order in response to COVID-19, requiring more than 10 million people to stay at home and most businesses to close.
The order will go into effect in L.A. County — the nation’s most populous county — at midnight. It is tentatively set to last until April 19, according to the city of L.A.’s website.
All businesses that require workers to be present must stop operations by 11:59 p.m. Friday, Garcetti said during a news conference. Businesses that provide “essential services” are exempt.
Minutes after the announcement, Gov. Gavin Newsom instated a similar measure for all of California, saying people should stay at home as much as possible.
Mayor Garcetti said that “today is a day that will be seared into the story and the streets” of the city and will be a “moment when everything changed.”
The only time people should leave their home is for essential activities like getting food or taking care of a loved one, according to the mayor.
“This is not a shelter-in-place. It’s a ‘stay at home’,” Garcetti said.
He emphasized that this is a health emergency and nobody is on lockdown.
