“The time now is not to panic, it’s for us to come together.”
Mayor London Breed
Not only has the coronavirus continued to spread, but also so have fears of the virus.
According to Erin Allday from The San Francisco Chronicle, as of 12:01 am Tuesday, six Bay Area counties are to follow a “Shelter in Place” order, which requires, “Everyone to stay inside their homes and away from others as much as possible for the next three weeks as public health officials desperately try to curb the rapid spread of coronavirus across the region.”
The six counties included are San Francisco, Santa Clara, San Mateo, Marin, Contra Costa and Alameda counties which have a totally of 6.7 million people. Sonoma, Solano and Napa were not included in the “Shelter in Place” order.
In a press conference with Mayor London Breed this afternoon, she expressed that people are allowed to travel to gather necessary supplies such as food and household items, accessing health care and providing aid to family members in need. Public transit will remain open, but it is only intended for essential travel.
Mayor Breed continued to explain the situation stating, “Non essential stores like bars and gyms will close effective midnight tonight.”
Any individual who has underlying health issues or is older should remain inside at all costs. People who are homeless are exempt from this order, but recommended to find shelter.
In addition, yesterday March 15th, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced in, “Accordance with its guidance for large events and mass gatherings, recommends that for the next eight weeks, organizers (whether groups of individuals) cancel or postpone in-person events that consist of 50 people or more throughout the United States.”
The nations top infectious disease official said he would like to see a 14-day national shutdown imposed, but it does not appear President Donald Trump will order that at this time.
In order to stay safe, read the CDC’s entire recommendation below.
New: Starting immediately and for the next 8 weeks, CDC recommends cancelling all events of 50 or more people. Full recommendation here: https://t.co/LrjUt4rl7B #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/OroIqhTYJo
— CDC (@CDCgov) March 16, 2020
