LOS ANGELES _ Los Angeles bars and nightclubs will close and restaurants must halt dine-in service and limit their business to takeout orders until March 31 as part of the city's efforts to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, Mayor Eric Garcetti said Sunday night.
Retail businesses, gyms and fitness centers will be closed, Garcetti said in a video news conference. Grocery stores, pharmacies and food banks will remain open.
The order was to go into effect midnight Sunday.
The announcement came on the heels of a request Sunday afternoon by Gov. Gavin Newsom urging bars, nightclubs, wineries and breweries in California to shut down operations. Newsom also called for the home isolation of people over age 65 and those with chronic disease _ both high risk populations for the virus.
