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The pandemic that has killed nearly 20,000 Californians and brought a once-booming economy to its knees entered a treacherous phase Sunday as much of the state began a new stay-at-home order and coronavirus cases soared to unprecedented highs that show no signs of slowing down. The Department of Public Health in Los Angeles County, a hot spot of the coronavirus in California, reported more than 10,500 new cases on Sunday, a staggering number for a single day that underscores fears that the virus spread rapidly during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Hospitalizations for COVID-19 neared 3,000 — and L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said that number could rise dramatically in the next few weeks as the full toll of the holiday comes into view. (Wigglesworth, Dolan and Lin II, 12/7)

With coronavirus cases surging and capacity inside intensive care units rapidly nearing dangerously low levels, nearly 85% of California residents will soon be under sweeping new restrictions as part of the state's latest salvo to bring the pandemic under control. Residents in Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley will be under a stay-at-home order through the Christmas holiday beginning at 11:59 Sunday evening. The order will mean strict new closures for many businesses and a ban on gathering with anyone outside of your household in two regions of the state that are collectively home to some 27 million people. The order will be in effect for at least three weeks. (Breslow, 12/6)

Most Californians will be home for Christmas whether they like it or not under new, restrictive mandates going into effect Sunday night across much of the state. Gov. Gavin Newsom said stay–at–home orders and business shutdowns for regions where hospital intensive care unit capacity falls below 15% can flatten the spiking curve in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths, reducing stress on the state's overburdened health care system until vaccines ride to the rescue. (Bacon, 12/6)

Almost one out of every 10 Californians who got tested last week for coronavirus received a positive result, according to an analysis of state data by The Chronicle. It’s a chilling benchmark that does not bode well for the state, as several regions brace for strict stay-at-home orders.California’s positivity rate jumped to 9.7% for the week ending Dec. 5, up from 6.2% the previous week. (Gafni, 12/6)

Brenda Luntey is openly violating California’s order to close her restaurant to indoor dining. But she wants her customers and critics to know she isn’t typically a rule-breaker. It’s a matter of survival. “This is my first episode of civil disobedience in my entire life. My whole family is in law enforcement. I’m a follow-the-rules kind of person,” said Luntey, owner of San Francisco Deli, a popular sandwich shop in Redding, more than 200 miles (320 kilometers) north of the restaurant’s namesake city. (Gecker and Pedroncelli, 12/7)

A besieged California restaurateur is accusing politicians of "living in la-la land" after anti-Covid measures forced her to shut her business and lay off staff despite investing thousands to make her business safe to operate. California is experiencing record numbers of new case and hospitalizations and the state has a new stay-at-home order coming into effect on Sunday evening that limits restaurants to takeout and delivery service. (Vercammen and Moshtaghian, 12/7)