COVID-19 surge strains California hospital care

California health officials are urging the state’s residents to stay home as much as possible because of a coronavirus surge taxing the state’s hospitals.

But the most recent stay-at-home order allows Californians to do many more activities than the March shutdown that made the state a model on how to respond to the virus.

People have been buying Christmas trees, shopping for groceries and hitting the gym since the orders took effect Monday in Southern California and much of the Bay Area and Central Valley.

On Thursday, the state set a one-day record of 220 deaths. Los Angeles County Health Director Barbara Ferrer is warning of catastrophic consequences if more people don’t pay attention to orders to stay home and within their own household members.