California reimposes Covid-19 restrictions on 40 counties as cases surge and the governor warns of possible curfew – CNN

Then things took a turn for the worst.

The first week of November, Newsom said, saw a more than 51% increase in new cases. The previous highest rate increase the state experienced was 39.2% in June, he added.

The governor said officials are now considering a curfew, but are still taking a look at studies from several other countries -- including France, Germany and Saudi Arabia -- to better understand the efficacy of those measures.

"We have a lot of questions about what that looks like, what that doesn't look like," the governor said.

California wouldn't be alone. Local and state leaders have in the past few weeks announced similar measures.

94% of state's population in most restrictive tier

A staggering 40 California counties also moved backwards in the state's tier system this week, the governor announced Monday, meaning they'll now face more restrictions. A total of 41 counties are now in California's purple, most restrictive tier, which indicates a widespread risk level -- up from just 13 counties that were in the tier last week.

Just three weeks ago, only nine counties were in the purple tier, California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said in the Monday news conference.

"This move of now 41 counties in total in purple, tells us exactly, underscores what the governor shared, which is this rapid rise in cases, this significant change in transmission, not just in a couple of counties ... but statewide, is absolutely essential for us to immediately take control of and manage," Ghaly said.

"We must keep transmission low," he said. "And that's to avoid flooding the health care delivery system."

Rising cases will likely translate to more Covid-19 hospitalized patients in just a matter of two to three weeks, Ghaly said.

The state saw a 48% increase in Covid-19 hospitalizations over the past two weeks, according to the governor, which now make up about 5% of the patients in the state's health care system he added.

Over the same time frame, ICUs saw more than a 38% increase.

"We have been preparing precisely for this moment," the governor said, adding there are 11 surge facilities throughout the state that can be set up in a matter of 24 to 96 hours and have a total bed capacity of about 1,872.

Governor apologizes for attending birthday celebration

But as Newsom outlined the individual actions that public health officials have in the past months urged residents to take -- like wear masks, social distance and avoid gatherings -- he issued an apology, saying he "very soberly" acknowledged contradicting his own advice.

The governor said a few weeks ago, he attended a friend's birthday celebration which was an outdoor dinner.

"As soon as I sat down at the larger table I realized it was a little larger group than I had anticipated," he said. "And I made a bad mistake."

"Instead of sitting down, I should have stood up and walked back, gotten in my car and drove back to my house. Instead, I chose to sit there with my wife and a number of other couples that were outside the household."

Newsom said the "spirit of what I'm preaching all the time was contradicted" and apologized to residents "because I need to preach and practice."

"I shouldn't have been there, I should have turned back around," he added, vowing not to make a similar mistake again.

CNN's Cheri Mossburg contributed to this report.

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California reimposes Covid-19 restrictions on 40 counties as cases surge and the governor warns of possible curfew - CNN