Several Bay Area counties, including SF, are set to announce this afternoon a shelter-in-place order for all residents. Under the order, everyone must stay in their homes for the next three weeks, starting at midnight.
Residents may leave their homes only to meet basic needs such as buying groceries, getting medicine, or visiting a doctor. Denizens will be allowed to take strolls to take out pets to use the bathroom, according to the San Francisco Examiner, but people are asked to remain at least six feet away from other people at all times.
“This is going to be a defining moment for our city,” said San Francisco Mayor London Breed, in a written statement. “We all have a responsibility to do our part to protect our neighbors and slow the spread of this virus by staying at home unless it is absolutely essential to go outside.”
The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the shelter-in-place directive, due to concerns over COVD-19, applies to San Francisco, Santa Clara, San Mateo, Marin, Contra Costa, and Alameda counties, which have “a combined population of more than 6.7 million.”
Homeless residents will be exempt from the order as officials try to find ways to house them.
The stay will remain in place until at least April 7. Mayor Breed is scheduled to make the announcement at 1 p.m. today. It will come on the heels of businesses closing, eateries shuttering, and citywide measures in place to stave off the potential spread of COVID-19.
