Bay Area issues massive ‘shelter-in-place’ order to slow coronavirus. Will others follow?
In an extraordinary move, six Bay Area counties issued a sweeping “shelter in place” order Monday, directing residents to stay at home as much as possible to quell the spread of coronavirus. The directive, set to take effect at midnight and would last through April 7, bans all non-essential travel and social activities, even having friends over for dinner.
Sacramento County’s top health official said Sacramento leaders are discussing the possibility of imposing the same restrictions here, but have not made a decision yet, and are calling on residents to stay calm. Under any circumstances, people will be able to go to the store, go to necessary healthcare appointments, and be outside.
In urging bars to close, restaurants to curtail business and senior citizens to “self isolate,” Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday ruled out making those conditions mandatory, at least for now, saying martial law wasn’t necessary and he believed most residents would comply with his advice.
Sacramento County is reporting 33 cases, and two deaths. Both deaths have been people over age 70 with “underlying health conditions.” Officials are not disclosing details of the cases. The Bay Area has recorded 272 confirmed cases of coronavirus and at least three deaths, all in Santa Clara County.
At a press conference in San Jose, health officers said the shelter-in-place order would take effect at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday in San Francisco, Santa Clara, San Mateo, Marin, Contra Costa and Alameda counties.
“This isn’t a time for half measures,” San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo told The Sacramento Bee. “History will not forgive us for waiting an hour longer.”
Dr. Sara Cody, the public health officer of Santa Clara, noted that Silicon Valley has become “the epicenter” of the pandemic in the Bay Area, with three deaths reported. She said residents are advised to “shelter at their place of residence and maintain a social distance of at least six feet when they are outside.”
Officials said the order won’t be the same as the imposition of martial law. Grocery stores, banks, gas stations, and pharmacies, as well as police and fire departments, would stay open. Take-out from restaurants and coffee shops would be allowed.
“You can even take your dog for a walk,” said Matt Willis, the health officer of Marin County. “We are not expecting empty streets. Social distancing does not mean disconnecting from each other.” Mass transit systems would remain open, but officials said residents could only board for essential trips and will have to maintain social distancing.
But non-essential travel throughout the Bay Area, including on foot, scooter, bicycle, car or public transportation, as well as any gatherings of any size, are banned. And Bay area officials said most socializing would not be allowed.
“You cannot have dinner parties. You cannot invite friends over to your home to hang out,” read a directive from the city of San Francisco.
The order wasn’t advisory, unlike the guidance issued a day earlier by the governor.
“It is mandatory. This Order is a legal Order issued under the authority of California law. You are required to comply, and it is a misdemeanor crime not to follow the order (although the intent is not for anyone to get into trouble),” read the statement on the city of San Francisco’s website.
The statement said residents would be allowed to leave San Francisco only “to perform essential activities.” The order does allow people currently on vacation to return home, but says that people who go on vacation while the order is in effect “may not be permitted to return to your residence.”
Health officials urged calm.
“Do not rush to ERs for COVID-19 testing,” San Francisco Health Director Dr. Grant Colfax said at a press conference. “Do not rush anywhere. ... Please be patient and kind to one another.”
San Francisco’s chief of police, Bill Scott, said his officers would “take a compassionate, common-sense approach ” to the order. He noted that violating the shelter-in-place order was technically a misdemeanor, “but that is the absolute last resort.”
“This is not about a criminal justice approach,” Scott said. “This is about educating the public.”
Sacramento County officials plan to communicate with their Bay Area counterparts and will discuss Monday afternoon whether to follow suit.
“This is a fast-moving world; we are evaluating it right now,” said Peter Beilenson, the county’s health director. He said county officials have heard that the federal CDC is considering similar recommendations.
Sacramento County officials are going to communicate with Bay Area officials to determine what exactly their order is, and will be discussing this afternoon whether we should do the same thing.
Beilenson said people should not panic. He pointed out that the Bay Area ruling does allow people to go to stores, to essential health care appointments, and to move about publicly, but staying at least 6 feet away from others.
This story was originally published March 16, 2020 at 12:20 PM with the headline "Bay Area issues massive ‘shelter-in-place’ order to slow coronavirus. Will others follow?."