San Francisco extends stay-at-home order, 10-day journey quarantine indefinitely
San Francisco health officials announced an indefinite extension of the current home stay order and 10-day travel quarantine on Thursday morning.
San Francisco County was one of five counties in the Bay Area that early adopted the state’s new regional home-stay ordinance and chose to adopt that ordinance in early December, two weeks before the area’s ICU capacity fell 15% fell, causing the state to shut down the rest of the region.
The state ordinance for the Bay Area region is expected to expire on Jan. 8, when ICU capacity is back above 15% and isn’t back below that number for four weeks. On Wednesday, the state estimated the region had 7.5% capacity.
San Francisco officials believe Christmas and New Year gatherings in January will spark a new boom, so restrictions in the city will remain in place even if outside government is overturned.
Outdoor dining, indoor personal care services, and other activities are prohibited as part of the stay at home order.
The city’s travel policy, which requires a mandatory 10-day quarantine for all individuals traveling, relocating, or returning to the city from outside the Bay Area, was originally due to expire on January 4th.
Dr. Grant Colfax, San Francisco’s director of public health, did not provide details on how the city will enforce the order, but said anyone who does not comply could be affected by a misdemeanor.
SFGATE news editor Amy Graff contributed to this report.