Mayor London Breed announced Monday that San Francisco residents would have to shelter in place for three weeks. Mayor Bill de Blasio says New York City could be under the same order within 48 hours.
The Bay Area, including San Francisco, will be directed to "shelter in place" until April 7 in an attempt to contain the coronavirus outbreak, the San Francisco Chronicle first reported on Monday.
The directive, which will go into effect at 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday, affects six Bay Area counties, including the county and city of San Francisco.
As the Chronicle noted, the affected population totals more than 6.7 million people. They will still be allowed to go shopping for groceries and supplies.
The directive is not a full lockdown, so people will not be prohibited from leaving their homes without government permission. Instead, they're directed to stay inside and avoid contact with others as much as possible for three weeks. Law enforcement is being asked to "ensure compliance" with the order, according to the Chronicle.