San Francisco (AFP) – Millions of San Francisco area residents on Monday were ordered to stay home to slow the spread of the deadly coronavirus as part of a lockdown effort covering a section of California including Silicon Valley.
Six counties in the region and the city of Berkeley joined the effort after data showed 258 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with four deaths in the jurisdictions with some seven million people.
A “remain-in-place” order announced by San Francisco Mayor London Breed will go into effect at the end of Tuesday here and remain in force until April 7, with the possibility it will be extended.
Well-known Texas attorney’s wife among victims of deadly private jet crash in Maine
Retired NYPD officer collapses, dies shoveling snow for churchgoers during devastating Northeast winter storm
Joe Biden Gets Hit with a Reality Check After Issuing a Statement on ICE Shooting
Trump hits the road to sell economic wins as Republicans brace for high-stakes midterm showdown
Trump admin marks International Holocaust Remembrance Day honoring millions murdered by Nazi regime
Video: To Assure Attacks on ICE Continue, CNN Airs Guest Suggesting ICE Will Begin ‘Putting People in Ovens’
Florida GOP Rep Vern Buchanan to retire, adding to wave of House exits
Minnesota fraud whistleblower says ‘lack of guardrails was pretty shocking’
Iran Suddenly Wants to Strike a Deal After ‘Big Armada’ Arrives: Trump
Anti-ICE Agitators Arrested After Targeting Gregory Bovino’s Hotel
Trump whistleblower Alex Vindman launches campaign to flip Florida senate seat
Late Breaking: Court Clears ICE to Bring the Pain to Minneapolis Agitators Who Step Out of Line
Outrageous: MSNBC Caught ‘Aggressively’ Photoshopping Pretti Picture to Turn Americans Against ICE
Republicans appeal judge’s decision rejecting New York City GOP district lines
Texas teen dies after Jeep-pulled sled strikes curb and tree during severe winter storm
“We know these measures will significantly disrupt people’s day to day lives, but they are absolutely necessary,” Breed said.
“This is going to be a defining moment for our city and 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 order directs all residents to remain in their homes unless they need to tend to “essential” activities.
Covered by the shutdown were the counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara along with the city of Berkeley.
When people do go out, they are to remain at least six feet (two meters) away from anyone else.
Businesses not deemed essential are to suspend operations, and gatherings of any kind outside of those sharing homes will be prohibited, the order mandates.
The list of businesses considered essential included hospitals, banks, fueling stations, transit, police, fire, and grocery shops.
San Francisco residents were told they can go outside for walks as long as they keep their distance from anyone else who is out and about.
Homeless people were urged to seek shelter.
Well-known Texas attorney’s wife among victims of deadly private jet crash in Maine
Retired NYPD officer collapses, dies shoveling snow for churchgoers during devastating Northeast winter storm
Joe Biden Gets Hit with a Reality Check After Issuing a Statement on ICE Shooting
Trump hits the road to sell economic wins as Republicans brace for high-stakes midterm showdown
Trump admin marks International Holocaust Remembrance Day honoring millions murdered by Nazi regime
Video: To Assure Attacks on ICE Continue, CNN Airs Guest Suggesting ICE Will Begin ‘Putting People in Ovens’
Florida GOP Rep Vern Buchanan to retire, adding to wave of House exits
Minnesota fraud whistleblower says ‘lack of guardrails was pretty shocking’
Iran Suddenly Wants to Strike a Deal After ‘Big Armada’ Arrives: Trump
Anti-ICE Agitators Arrested After Targeting Gregory Bovino’s Hotel
Trump whistleblower Alex Vindman launches campaign to flip Florida senate seat
Late Breaking: Court Clears ICE to Bring the Pain to Minneapolis Agitators Who Step Out of Line
Outrageous: MSNBC Caught ‘Aggressively’ Photoshopping Pretti Picture to Turn Americans Against ICE
Republicans appeal judge’s decision rejecting New York City GOP district lines
Texas teen dies after Jeep-pulled sled strikes curb and tree during severe winter storm
“Our response has been grounded in data, science, and facts,” San Francisco director of health Grant Colfax said in a release.
“Based on what we can predict, now is the time to do everything we can to prevent the situation from getting much worse in a matter of days or weeks. Every hour counts.”
The affected region includes the cities of Oakland, Palo Alto and San Jose and headquarters of tech firms include Apple, Google, Facebook and Netflix.
Story cited here.
