Six counties in the San Francisco Bay Area issued a shelter-in-place order to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
The Monday order required all people in San Francisco to remain in their homes. Officials asked that residents only leave to exercise, buy food, or pick up medical supplies. The policy, which will be in place for three weeks, asks residents to avoid any other travel. Nearly 7 million people reside in the counties that issued the order.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed said the move was necessary after a “terrible response” to COVID-19 by the Trump administration. Breed explained, “We can’t sit back and wait for the federal government to do anything. Unfortunately, they have not been as proactive as they should in recognizing this is a crisis throughout the world.”
San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo agreed, saying, “We must move aggressively and immediately. History will not forgive us for waiting an hour more.”
Grant Colfax, director of the San Francisco Department of Public Health, admitted that the policy sounded extreme but said it was necessary to keep people healthy. He explained, “I know today’s order is a radical step. It has to be. We need to act now, all of us, to protect the public health.”
Employees in some positions deemed essential will still be allowed to go to work, including those in the public safety, sanitation, and medical service industries. Restaurants will also be open, but only for carryout or delivery options.
San Francisco’s massive homeless population is exempt from the shelter-in-place order, but authorities have urged people without homes to try and find a shelter to stay in as the outbreak continues.
The San Francisco Bay Area is just the latest of several cities and states to announce closures of public places, including schools, bars, and restaurants. As of Monday, California had 400 confirmed cases of the coronavirus. The country as a whole has more than 4,200 cases.
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