Life in San Francisco area screeches to a halt amid shutdown

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — First, people were advised to avoid large gatherings.

Californians adjusted. Life went on. Kids went to school, some people worked from home, but mostly it was business as usual.

Then came the shutdown of almost all California's schools, and restrictions on smaller and smaller gatherings. The call for bars and wineries to close down.

And finally, Monday, about 7 million people in the San Francisco Bay Area were ordered to shelter at their homes and only leave for “essential" reasons, the strictest measures in America so far, mimicking orders in place already across Europe in a desperate attempt to slow the spread of coronavirus.

The shelter-in-place order raised new questions. What exactly is an essential need to leave home? What happens if you go out for a non-essential reason? What about salaries and income during the extended home stay?

"No one is clear. No one has clarity as to what next steps are," said Oakland resident John McClinton. "And no one has a clear interpretation as to what's going to happen economically or the trickle-down effect that local businesses are experiencing because of this."

Under the order, supermarkets, pharmacies, banks and gas stations remain open, along with other essential government functions and businesses.

Restaurants will be open only for takeout.

All gyms and bars will have to close. Outdoor exercise is fine, as long as people practice “social distancing.”

"You can still walk your dog or go on a hike with another person, as long as you keep 6 feet between you," said Dr. Grant Colfax, director of the San Francisco Department of Public Health.

It remained unclear if the rest of the state — and country — would follow California's lead. The nation's top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci,...