A.M. Brief: Curfew For Purple Tier Counties Starts Saturday

A new curfew for purple tier counties starts Saturday as COVID-19 infections continue to spike statewide, and Los Angeles sees its biggest one-day rise in new cases. Meanwhile, some law enforcement agencies are already saying they won’t enforce the curfew at all. Finally, a reminder that the coronavirus long haul is longer than you think. Here is your news. Take it!

Morning News Rundown

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a new health order yesterday that institutes a curfew on all non-essential work and gatherings from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. The limited Stay-At-Home order applies to all counties categorized in the purple (most widespread infection) tier of reopening, which currently includes all of Southern California. The order takes effect this Saturday starting at 10 p.m. and runs through 5 a.m. on Dec. 21. [CBS Los Angeles]

Not even a day after the Governor announced the new health order, law enforcement agencies in Tulare, Kings, and Merced counties announced that they won’t enforce the state’s Stay-At-Home restrictions. [ABC 7]

Two days before the curfew starts in L.A., the county reported over 5,000 new cases of coronavirus, a new one-day record. [KTLA]

Part of the problem Public Health officials face in combatting the spread of COVID-19 is that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to pinpoint how and when the virus is spreading through the local population. Very few of the local rules and restrictions have changed in the past months, and interviews conducted with infected individuals aren’t indicating significant shifts in behavior. And without detailed knowledge of how the virus is being passed on, contact tracers face an almost impossible challenge. [L.A. Times]

Two Los Angeles-area State Assembly members — Blanca Rubio and Wendy Carrillo — defended their decision to travel to Hawaii to attend a conference hosted by the Independent Voter Project, even as the state experienced a surge in COVID-19 infections. In a statement, Rubio said it was “a critical conference focused on reopening the economy.” [LAist]

How long is the “long haul” for survivors of COVID-19? One L.A.-based artist who was infected by COVID-19 eight months ago still suffers from shortness of breath and neurological symptoms that he describes as “brain fog.” [LAist]