San Francisco's original stay-at-home order was lambasted by residents and some local government officials for being over-restrictive. Before the weekend, it was loosened slightly to allow for meeting one person outside of your immediate household — but only outside.
Among the SF politicians to criticize the first stay-at-home order was District 6 Supervisor Matt Haney, whose Twitter thread on the City's austere stay-at-home order echoed what many people felt about the order's unrealistic rules on socializing: They were borderline nonsensical.
We are currently experiencing our worst #COVID19 surge yet. Every hospital in CA is reaching capacity & we may be unable to care for people at our hospitals within weeks. The actions we take every day are crucial to saving lives. Stay home. Don't travel or gather. #MaskTheSFup pic.twitter.com/hhV8JFOiAE
— San Francisco Department of Emergency Management😷 (@SF_emergency) December 12, 2020
The SF supervisor reiterated those same sentiments this weekend, though shared that while the newly updated order is still "overtly strict," this current version is at least a tad more "connected to reality."
The revised order includes the following on socializing with those outside your home:
“As of December 10, the health order was updated. You can meet with 1 other person who doesn't live with you. You both can:
- Take a walk
- Hang out at the park
- Play low-contact sports like golf, tennis, pickleball, and bocce ball (but don't share equipment)
- Wear a mask and stay 6 feet away from others when you leave your home."
Much like how hollow curfews can erode people's trust in both governance and advice being given from public health officials, illogically bounding stay-at-home orders can prompt people to simply sidestep them altogether — especially when they're presented to the public with little information.
But as ABC7 repeated earlier today: San Francisco is likely to reach ICU bed capacity by December 27, just two days after Christmas. It's imperative we all do our individual parts to help bend the curve down again.
Starting tomorrow, frontline medical workers could start receiving the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, officially starting its rollout in the Bay Area.
Related: San Mateo, Napa, and Solano Counties Likely to Get Stay-at-Home Orders From State Next Week
Bay Area Frontline Workers Could Receive Initial Pfizer Vaccine Doses on Monday
Image: Courtesy of Getty Images via David Tran
