The mayor of San Francisco on Friday ordered new lockdowns and business restrictions across the Bay Area in the face of the Covid-19 surge, as political leaders nationwide ramp up pressure on Americans to stay home until vaccines can be distributed, Reuters reports.

The new measures announced by Mayor London Breed, a first-term Democrat, apply across five Bay Area counties and are among the harshest of any major US city, closing all personal services, outdoor dining and most public gatherings.

“What we are seeing in our city, our region, our state and our country is a virus that is taking over,” Breed, 46, said in announcing the new clamp down.

California Governor Gavin Newsom, also a Democrat, said on Thursday he would impose similar stay-at-home orders statewide, to take effect region-by-region as intensive care beds reach capacity.

Opinion

Editorial

De-escalation efforts
23 Jul, 2026

De-escalation efforts

WHILE the exchange of fire across the Gulf — and the wider Middle East — continues between the US and Iran,...
Time to integrate
23 Jul, 2026

Time to integrate

PAKISTAN remains one of the least regionally integrated economies in Asia. The trade figures for the last fiscal ...
Modi unnerved
23 Jul, 2026

Modi unnerved

DISCONTENT is visible in India. Delhi has been on the boil since last month. As thousands took to the streets ...
Frozen Award
Updated 22 Jul, 2026

Frozen Award

KP’S petition before the Federal Constitutional Court, seeking Rs964bn as the province’s claimed share of tax...
Delayed pricing
22 Jul, 2026

Delayed pricing

THE ongoing delay in making new, approved lifesaving medicines available to patients is a serious lapse in...
Joint prayers
22 Jul, 2026

Joint prayers

IN a country which has witnessed monstrous bouts of sectarian violence, even symbolic gestures by clerics belonging...