California issues statewide stay-at-home order in coronavirus fight
The governor of California on Thursday evening issued a statewide stay-at-home order to help combat the spread of the coronavirus, NBC News reports.
The order, which takes effect Thursday night, asks residents to leave their homes only when necessary. It will remain in place until further notice.
California is the most populous US state with around 40 million residents and is the country's largest state economy, according to CNN. About 25 million Californians could be impacted by the coronavirus, the governor estimates.
The novel coronavirus has infected more than 244,500 people and killed over 10,000 worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University, which is tracking cases reported by the World Health Organization and additional sources.