San Francisco Mayor London Breed addresses Bay Area's revised shelter-in-place order amid COVID-19
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- San Francisco Mayor London Breed addressed the COVID-19 pandemic in San Francisco Wednesday afternoon and the Bay Area's revised shelter-in-place order which will allow certain outdoor activities to resume across much of the region.
Thanks to the order taking effect Monday, construction can resume in six Bay Area counties and in the City of Berkeley.
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This includes San Francisco.
Breed said construction is "so important to move forward" in terms of the city's workforce, housing crisis and economy.
"We can't stop our economy," the mayor said, emphasizing how residents need places to live and need to return to work.
Breed also confirmed there are 1,940 cases of coronavirus in San Francisco, as of Wednesday. Twenty-three people have died in the city since the pandemic began.
In addition to Breed, San Franciscans also heard from Susan Philip, an infectious disease specialist with the City of San Francisco.
She referenced the progress that's been made so far, but reiterated the virus is still present in San Francisco.
"It will thrive if we let it," the health officer said.
She recognized the difficulties of the shelter order, but said "we are slowing the spread of the virus."
Under the newest shelter-in-place order in much of the Bay Area, some outdoor activities will be able to resume. Businesses that operate outside will also be able to open under the revised order.
The order takes effect Monday.
The order does not apply to restaurants that have outdoor seating.
The order in San Francisco does apply to certain activities, including golf -- but allowing golf in San Francisco goes against the current statewide order. California's shelter-in-place order takes precedence despite San Francisco allowing golf in its newest shelter order, the city said.
There are a total 7,273 cases of coronavirus in Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties, as well as the City of Berkeley.
The shelter-in-place restrictions are being eased in those seven jurisdictions.
San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott also spoke during Wednesday's press conference, addressing crime in the city during the pandemic and an uptick in violent crimes against elderly woman in recent days.
Scott said four women, ranging from 69 to 85-years-old, were attacked in the last 11 days in San Francisco. Some of those attacks were at gunpoint and the victims were thrown to the ground, the chief said.
Scott said the crimes were "simply unacceptable."
"Let's look out for our most vulnerable population," Scott said.
The chief also said there have been 14 homicides in San Francisco this year - which is up from 12 this time last year.
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