They are enforcing the same now as of midnight tonight in six NorCal counties. If you don’t have a valid reason to be out, you’ll likely be fined with a misdemeanor. Restaurants are only to offer take out only. Supposedly 3 weeks, but it’s likely going to be longer.
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I haven’t seen this at all regarding being fined for being out? Can you provide more information or links?
I haven’t heard of any governmental authority invoke police powers.
In San Francisco, Police Chief Bill Scott said his department would be “looking for voluntary compliance” with the health order. The order does carry the force of law — police could cite people with a misdemeanor for failing to comply with it — but Scott was clear that such a measure was an “absolute last resort.”
https://www.sfchronicle.com/local-politics/article/Bay-Area-must-shelter-in-place-Only-15135014.php
What happens after April 7 will depend on various factors.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/03/16/social-distancing-coronavirus/
San Francisco’s mayor has announced an unprecedented three week lockdown that will begin on Tuesday at midnight and which bans anyone from leaving their home for anything other than doctor’s visits or trips to the supermarket.
In addition to the lockdown in city parameters, six counties in the Bay Area are being told to ‘shelter in place’.
The lockdown is the strictest action to be taken in America. Anyone who breaks it faces legal repercussions.
The following is the text of the legal order from Contra Costa County announced Monday afternoon. Other Bay Area counties – Santa Clara, San Mateo, San Francisco, Alameda and Marin, and the city of Berkeley – issued the same order:
Please read this Order carefully. Violation of or failure to comply with this Order is a misdemeanor punishable by fine, imprisonment, or both. (California Health and Safety Code § 120295, et seq.)
This is for Northern California within 6 counties that includes San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara Counties.
In the same sense that anyone who jaywalks in SF faces legal repercussions. It’s also false that people can leave home only to go to the grocery store or doctor.
These essential services will remain open:
- City/County government services: Police stations, fire stations, hospitals/clinics and healthcare operations, jails, courts, garbage/sanitation, transportation (including Muni), utilities (water, power and gas), and city offices
- Gas stations
- Pharmacies
- Food: Grocery stores, farmers markets, food banks, convenience stores, take-out and delivery restaurants
- Hardware stores/plumbers
- Banks
- Community benefit organizations on a case-by-case basis
- Laundromats/laundry services
The lists of essential activities, businesses, and travel go on for four pages. Notably, essential businesses include:
Grocery stores, certified farmers’ markets, farm and produce stands, supermarkets, food banks, convenience stores, and other establishments engaged in the retail sale of canned food, dry goods,
fresh fruits and vegetables, pet supply, fresh meats, fish, and poultry, and any other household consumer products (such as cleaning and personal care products).
https://www.sfdph.org/dph/alerts/files/HealthOrderC19-07-%20Shelter-in-Place.pdf
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And you can still take a walk, hike, or bicycle ride. If I couldn’t do that…well, just shoot me now.
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Strictly speaking, that’s prohibited unless you’re doing something essential.
All travel, including, but not limited to, travel on foot, bicycle, scooter, motorcycle,
automobile, or public transit, except Essential Travel and Essential Activities as
defined below in Section 10, is prohibited.
Oops, the essential activities list includes:
To engage in outdoor activity, provided the individuals comply with Social Distancing Requirements as defined in this Section, such as, by way of example and without limitation, walking, hiking, or running.
and what if we get lucky with this test?
if the research goes well, a vaccine would not be available for widespread use for 12 to 18 months, said Dr. Anthony Fauci of the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
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Holy cow.
Does that mean people can’t get delivery?
I’ve yet to understand why forcing everyone to cram into a crazed grocery store is better than allowing them to go to restaurants.
One poster mentioned that grocery stores should have limited entry and lines with people spaced 6 feet apart. That would make sense to me (not saying I support it). Status quo doesn’t make sense to me.
I just read that SF is allowing takeout and delivery. That’s sensible.
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That’s just more or less the start of a phase 1 study - they have at least get to the end of a phase 2 to get to potentially an approval (a number of vaccines for other disease have actually shown the opposite effect in animals and increased your susceptibility to get infected and so it is critical to have fast but also complete clinical studies - some of these studies are already started without any animal testing (no consistent animal model yet available) which is very unusual and high risk)
And afterwards you still have to produce the vaccine on a massive scale - 12-18 months might be too optimistic.
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But Once they fine one and if someone is given billions they’ll hurry up to scale up?
I’ve not read of any places that won’t allow this.
It amazes me that people get to adult age and have no idea how vaccine development, testing and manufacture works.
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That could let to an interesting discussion - many drugs are significantly cheaper in Europe as the governments have a different approach than here in the US where the price is pretty much dictate by the industries (and it is not only the pharma one but there are a number of players involved). The question will be what will happen once a company has developed a potential vaccine - I have little doubt that in Europe the governments will out enough pressure on the companies to work together with them to make it available to everybody as soon as possible for free or a very low price. In the US I am not so sure - some comments from Azar last week seem to indicate that the current administration is at least considering to let companies dictate the price (and thereby speed). We will see how much public pressure would happen if they really would try it.
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This Harvard article I read today says not to eat out and prepare your own food. If a cook has COVID-19 and is preparing your salad or sandwich with their bare hands and didn’t wash properly, they might transmit the disease to you. I wouldn’t eat out just because no one knows for sure if it is safe.
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I think this is the specific quote:
Can I catch the coronavirus by eating food handled or prepared by others?
We are still learning about transmission of the new coronavirus. It’s not clear if it can be spread by an infected person through food they have handled or prepared, but if so it would more likely be the exception than the rule.
That said, the new coronavirus is a respiratory virus known to spread by upper respiratory secretions, including airborne droplets after coughing or sneezing. The virus that causes COVID-19 has also been detected in the stool of certain people. So we currently cannot rule out the possibility of the infection being transmitted through food by an infected person who has not thoroughly washed their hands. In the case of hot food, the virus would likely be killed by cooking. This may not be the case with uncooked foods like salads or sandwiches.
I’m not a medical expert, and of course everybody should do what makes them most comfortable with regard to the safety and health of themselves and their loved ones, but IMHO, this is not much different than e-coli or listeria. Do you trust your food provider to prepare food in sanitary conditions in general? If yes, then personally I don’t see a difference between before and now.
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Main difference is e-coli or listeria are food-borne, whereas anne’s article is talking about food that was not contaminated being contaminated by the person who prepared it.
Anecdotally, before the shutdown I got sandwiches to go from a place with an open kitchen and you could see the chefs all working with gloves and replacing the gloves very often, which made me feel good. I don’t know how much I’d trust every place; perhaps giving a call to see what precautions they’re taking is the right idea.
There was also a nice article in the Times on washing produce here: Don't worry about coronavirus on your produce: Just wash it.
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That’s a pretty distorted summary of the actual text NYCtoLA posted.