List of California cities ordered to 'shelter in place’
SAN FRANCISCO, CA, USA - MARCH 18: Streets in San Francisco are seen after midnight as residents went home to begin the 3-week process of sheltering in place, on March 18, 2020. The directive is in effect in the six counties that make u the Bay Area
LOS ANGELES - Officials in several California counties have issued ‘shelter in place’ mandates in response to curb the spread of coronavirus.
UPDATED STORY: Governor Newsom issues statewide order for people to stay at home amid virus outbreak
On Monday seven Northern California counties ordered residents to stay home and go outside only for food, medicine and outings that are absolutely essential.
The mandate affects the counties of San Francisco, Marin, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Mateo, Contra Costa and Alameda, which includes the cities of Berkeley and Oakland.
On Wednesday the City of Fresno, located in California’s Central Valley, issued a shelter in place order which goes into effect at midnight. The city says non-essential businesses will be closed.
Meanwhile, without calling it an official shelter in place order, Sacramento County officials recommended that residents stay at home as much as possible.
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Southern California authorities similarly stopped short of shelter-in-place orders, but have still imposed sweeping restrictions. Orange and San Bernardino counties issued new orders Tuesday that ban all gatherings, a day after Riverside County banned gatherings of 10 or more people and L.A. County prohibited gatherings of 50 or more people. San Diego County issued a ban Tuesday prohibiting gatherings of 50 or more people.
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“Shelter in place and lockdown are not phrases we should be using. Shelter in place refers to stopping where you are, usually almost not at home. Lockdown refers to people literally not being able to leave their home or where they are,” Mayor Eric Garcetti said Wednesday during a daily briefing.
Besides the 12 counties imposing a shelter in place order, enforceable as a misdemeanor, Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Ventura and San Diego counties ordered restaurants to end dine-in eating and required them to offer only pickup and delivery service.
Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Ventura and San Diego counties ordered bars that do not serve food to close; Ventura, San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties also ordered gyms and movie theaters to close.
On March 14, the City of Palm Springs issued a local emergency and ordered the closure of all bars, lounges, gyms and other non-essential businesses.
Riverside County has seen over 16 COVID-19 cases with more than half in the Coachella Valley area.
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