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.
Medical Student Left for Dead by His Own Friends; Allegedly Pushed Into Water, Not Knowing How to Swim Texas Farm Worker Infected with Bird Flu Had None of the Typical Influenza Signs, Instead Showed One Disturbing Symptom NY v Trump: Judge threatens jail time for ‘possibly the next president’ for future gag order violations D-Day veteran, 99, spreads message of peace ahead of Normandy landings anniversary Biden Economic Adviser Tries and Fails to Explain Monetary Policy – ‘Some of the Language and Concepts Are Just Confusing’ Noem addresses feeling ‘threatened’ by Nikki Haley, a controversial dog killing, Trump VP speculation in book House Dems seeking re-election seemingly reverse course, call on Biden to ‘bring order to the southern border’ NY v. Trump to resume Monday after eventful third week of testimony, thousands of dollars of gag order fines Vulnerable Dem. Sen ripped after raking in cash from corporate PACs despite previous objections: ‘Hypocrisy’ Republican Senate primary in crucial Michigan race heats up with claims front-runner covered for Clinton African Church Elder Stands Firm Against Denomination’s Rewrite of Marriage, Holds Bible High and Declares ‘This Is the Word of God’ NYC Jewish community on high alert from protests threatened with trio of bomb threats at synagogues Former NBA Player Found Dead at 33 in Los Angeles Area ‘The Lord of the Rings,’ ‘Titanic’ Star Dead at 79 Eagle-Eyed Fan Spotted Hilarious Previously Undiscovered Error in the Final Cut of ‘Star Wars Episode III’
“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.
Medical Student Left for Dead by His Own Friends; Allegedly Pushed Into Water, Not Knowing How to Swim Texas Farm Worker Infected with Bird Flu Had None of the Typical Influenza Signs, Instead Showed One Disturbing Symptom NY v Trump: Judge threatens jail time for ‘possibly the next president’ for future gag order violations D-Day veteran, 99, spreads message of peace ahead of Normandy landings anniversary Biden Economic Adviser Tries and Fails to Explain Monetary Policy – ‘Some of the Language and Concepts Are Just Confusing’ Noem addresses feeling ‘threatened’ by Nikki Haley, a controversial dog killing, Trump VP speculation in book House Dems seeking re-election seemingly reverse course, call on Biden to ‘bring order to the southern border’ NY v. Trump to resume Monday after eventful third week of testimony, thousands of dollars of gag order fines Vulnerable Dem. Sen ripped after raking in cash from corporate PACs despite previous objections: ‘Hypocrisy’ Republican Senate primary in crucial Michigan race heats up with claims front-runner covered for Clinton African Church Elder Stands Firm Against Denomination’s Rewrite of Marriage, Holds Bible High and Declares ‘This Is the Word of God’ NYC Jewish community on high alert from protests threatened with trio of bomb threats at synagogues Former NBA Player Found Dead at 33 in Los Angeles Area ‘The Lord of the Rings,’ ‘Titanic’ Star Dead at 79 Eagle-Eyed Fan Spotted Hilarious Previously Undiscovered Error in the Final Cut of ‘Star Wars Episode III’
“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.