Health officials in San Francisco have started to see some encouraging signs that the stay-at-home order is helping to slow the spread of COVID- 19.
But they also warned that the situation remains dangerous, especially if people gather for the holidays. It’s been two weeks since the order went into effect in San Francisco, and as Public Health Director Grant Colfax said, the city has seen some progress in that time.
"Here in San Francisco, our cases are still climbing," Dr. Colfax said Tuesday. "But there is some relatively - and i stress relatively - good news, which is that the pace of increase is slowing down."
Colfax said that before the order was enacted, daily cases rose at an average of 8%. Now that average has dropped to a 2% daily average. He said the virus’ reproductive rate in the city is also down.
But the virus is still considered out of control.
"Our stay-at-home orders are starting to have an effect, but we also know that the number of cases and people in the hospital remain as high as they’ve ever been," said Mayor London Breed. "We are in a very dangerous place if we get a post-holiday surge."
After the Thanksgiving holiday, San Francisco saw a 50% increase in cases.
Breed said her biggest fear now is reaching a point where hospitals have to turn people away.
"Please think about that," Breed said. "Think about what you can do to get us through these next few weeks."
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