The San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California is expected to announce a “shelter in place” for six counties today, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Effective at midnight, San Francisco will require people to stay home except for essential needs.
Necessary government functions & essential stores will remain open.
These steps are based on the advice of public health experts to slow the spread of #COVID19.
— London Breed (@LondonBreed) March 16, 2020
A shelter-in-place order is deployed by public officials and emergency management teams, and it requires that citizens find a safe location indoors and stay there until evacuation is permitted. For residents of San Francisco, Santa Clara, San Mateo, Marin, Contra Costa and Alameda counties, this will require limiting contact with other people as much as possible for the next three weeks to help quell the spread of COVID-19.
The shelter-in-place directive is expected to begin at 12:01 a.m. PST on Tuesday and will last until “at least April 7,” local outlets report.
The order specifically writes that, “The scientific evidence shows that at this stage of the (coronavirus) emergency, it is essential to slow virus transmission as much as possible to protect the most vulnerable and to prevent the health care system from being overwhelmed. One proven way to slow the transmission is to limit interactions among people to the greatest extent practicable.”
The order will enforce the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) guidelines, banning nonessential social gatherings and nonessential travel. This reportedly includes travel “on foot, bicycle, scooter, automobile, or public transit.”
However, people may shop for emergency supplies, access health care and help friends and family who need it. Exercise outdoors is permitted, though, provided people respect the CDC’s social distancing protocol — no person-to-person contact within six feet.
Remote working is reportedly mandated unless an employee works in health care, law enforcement or as an emergency responder. Utility providers for electricity, plumbing and sanitation will also be required to work.
Grocery stores and pharmacies will remain open, and restaurants may allow takeout, but all service businesses are advised to keep staff and customers at least six feet apart.
The Bay Area has a total of 251 confirmed cases of the coronavirus since the outbreak began, according to the Chronicle, with six deaths associated with the virus reported in California. The total U.S. case number is approximately 4,138, according to Johns Hopkins CSS data.
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