California lockdown likely to continue

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Administrative workers Leslie Castillo, far left, and Veronica Esparza check in people at a Covid-19 testing site in Los Angeles, Sunday, Dec. 27, 2020. AP PHOTO

LOS ANGELES: State officials are expected to extend the strictest stay-at-home orders in central and Southern California as hospitals there are quickly running out of intensive care unit beds for coronavirus patients ahead of the presumed post-holiday surge.

The situation is already dire, and the worst is expected to come in the next few weeks after Christmas and New Year’s travelers return home.

California hit 2 million confirmed coronavirus cases on Christmas Eve.

State stay-at-home orders for the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California are set to expire Monday. State officials say the orders are likely to be extended but did not make a definitive ruling Sunday afternoon.