Most parts of the US state of California are under a strict new lockdown, as Covid-19 cases surge across the state and the country, APA reports citing BBC.
The stay-at-home order affects around 85% of the state's 40 million people. It will be in place for at least three weeks and cover the Christmas holiday.
Many businesses will be closed, and people will be banned from meeting anyone outside their household.
On Sunday, the US had a record number of people in hospital with Covid-19.
The country has seen a sharp rise in cases and Covid-related deaths in recent weeks. The surge could be partly down to last month's Thanksgiving holiday, when millions of Americans travelled around the US.
The new restrictions in California were triggered by intensive care capacity in hospitals shrinking. The measures came into force at 23:59 local time on Sunday (07:59 GMT on Monday) in the southern part of the state and its central valley.
A local lockdown in San Francisco came into force slightly earlier. Other areas could follow within days.
California's lockdown in March, in which all non-essential businesses were closed, was seen as an early model for the US at the beginning of the pandemic.
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