As virus slams rural California, many still pan restrictions

By JOCELYN GECKER and RICH PEDRONCELLI Associated Press
REDDING, Calif. (AP) — Restaurant owner Brenda Luntey shrugs off the new stay-at-home orders California has announced to stem a surge in COVID-19 cases. She is keeping her restaurant in rural Shasta County open, despite orders to shut indoor dining. Hers is one of several rural California counties that appeared to dodge the virus in the spring but are now seeing some of the most alarming spikes in COVID-19 infections statewide. Each day brings dire new records in hospitalizations and deaths. But outside California’s big cities, the backlash against tough new restrictions is growing, especially in conservative areas.