San Francisco and all neighboring counties have issued a public health order requiring all residents to stay at home except to conduct essential activities, business, or government functions. This order is mandatory, and is in effect from March 17 through April 7.

To be clear, grocery stores, pharmacies, banks, laundromats and many other essential services will remain open and there is no need to rush out to these locations. Transit service, trash collection, public safety agencies, and public works and utilities crews will all continue to operate. Personal travel to care for family members or deliver essential supplies is permitted. Outdoor activities are permitted, though you should take every reasonable effort to maintain at least 6 feet of distance between yourself and others. Parks and trails remain open, though recreational facilities will be closed.
 
The following businesses and services will remain open (business and services that have been clarified as essential since our last update are in bold) 

• Hospitals, clinics, dentists, pharmacies, cannabis dispensaries, home healthcare provides, and other healthcare facilities and businesses
• Grocery stores, farmers' markets, food and produce stands, food banks, convenience stores, or any other retailer who sells food, household and cleaning supplies, and personal care products 
• Restaurants and cafes for to-go service only, and food delivery services 
• Gas stations, auto repair shops, bicycle repair and mobile bicycle repair, and related businesses
• Laundromats and dry cleaners
• Banks and financial institutions
• Hardware stores, and plumbers, electricians, exterminators and related service providers and handwashing service vendors
• Shipping and mailing services
• Childcare and private educational institutions, in observance of social distancing restrictions 
• Residential facilities, shelters, and home-based care facilities 
• Organizations and businesses that provide food, shelter, and social services to high-need populations 
• Personal transportation providers including airlines, taxis, para-transit operations, ride share and other services 
• Cell phone and electronics stores providing telecom services
• Internet service providers
• Pet food stores
• Moving companies, to serve pre-scheduled or otherwise necessary moves to a new residence

 
For more information, see the City’s  Shelter in Place FAQs here, and the full Public Health Order here. 

• Rec & Park and the Library continue to operate libraries and indoor recreation facilities as emergency child and youth care centers for children of parents on the front lines of the COVID-19 outbreak and low income families qualified for Rec and Park scholarships. On March 20, Mayor Breed announced an expansion of operating hours to better align with the schedule of health care workers, and expanded eligibility to include health care workers. More information here.
• SFUSD continues to provide free meals (breakfast, lunch, supper, fresh fruit, vegetables and milk) to all children 18 and younger during the school closure, available for pick-up at 19 sites from 9-10 a.m., Monday through Friday. District 8 locations include Mission High School and Lick Middle School. See all locations and details here.

• Small business and non-profit assistance:   
  • Deferred business tax payments for small businesses
  • Deferred business license fees
  • Immediate relief for revenue losses sustained by small businesses
  • Guarantee of City-Funded Non-Profit Contracts
  • Support in accessing state and federal assistance programs

• Paid sick leave, as required for all workers in the city under the Paid Sick Leave Ordinance. In addition, the City has announced the Workers and Families First Program, which will contribute an additional 40 hours of paid sick leave beyond existing policies for private-sector workers. City employees may now advance vacation and sick days.
  
   
• Health care insurance is available through Covered California! The state health insurance exchange has extended Open Enrollment for those who meet eligibility requirements through June 30, 2020 for those who need health care coverage amid the COVID-19 pandemic emergency. Go to CoveredCa.com . 
• State resources are also available, including Unemployment Insurance if your employer has reduced your hours or shut down operations; Disability Insurance if you are sick or quarantined; and Paid Family Leave if you are unable to work because you’re providing care for an ill or quarantined family member. See the Employment Development Division’s resource page here. 
   
• Self-employed workers, Gig Workers, and Independent Contractors are encouraged to call the City’s Worker Information Line at 415-701-4817. Many stakeholders are actively working with the State to extend unemployment benefits to independent contractors and the self-employed. At this time, the State is advising all independent contractors to apply for Unemployment Insurance in anticipation of the release of federal and state resources for this benefit.

• Reduced Transit Service: BART, and ferries are all running on reduced schedules due to reduced ridership during the shelter in place order. Beginning on Tuesday, March 17, Muni bus service was temporarily reduced to reorient service to prioritize neighborhood lines over downtown office commute and school-related lines. Muni Metro rail service is currently running normal schedules. There will be no special event shuttles at this time. More on Muni service here.
• Through the end of March, SFMTA will suspend the enforcement of 72-hour parking limit and towing, residential permit parking permits, commuter shuttles, peak-hour tow-away zones, and street cleaning. Tickets issued March 17 for any of these violations will be waived.  MTA will continue to enforce fire hydrant zones, red and yellow zones, "No Stopping" or "No Parking" zones, parking meters, blocked driveways and double parking, and parking in bike or transit lanes. More information here.

• The San Francisco Tenants Union has posted a Temporary Eviction Moratorium Fact Sheet and Sample Letter to Landlords. 
• The San Francisco Rent Board has issued guidance regarding Rent Board services during the public health emergency here. Phone counseling with the Rent Board is available at 415-252-4631. 

• PG&E has implemented a series of billing and service modifications to support customers who have been impacted by the pandemic including: suspending service disconnections for non-payment and waiving security deposits; implementing flexible payment plan options, and; providing additional support for low-income and medical baseline customers. More information here.
• California Utilities Will Remain Connected: The California Public Utilities Commission prohibited utilities under its jurisdiction – energy, water, sewer, telecommunications – from disconnecting service for nonpayment during the COVID-19 pandemic. More here.
• Credit Card Payment Assistance: Credit card companies may accommodate customers who have difficulty making payments because of COVID-19. Those interested can refer to a list of major credit card and bank contact information here.
• DMV Expiration Dates Extended: Beginning March 16, 2020, DMV allows customers to avoid coming to a DMV office for 60 days. If a driver’s license is expiring soon, an extension may be requested.
• The San Francisco Superior Court will be drastically reducing operations that entail closing 75 percent of courtrooms, all clerks’ offices, and the ACCESS Center for 30 days.  The Court intends to reduce the number of jurors, parties, and attorneys in the Court for the time period of March 17 through April 15, 2020. Details here .

Many neighbors have reached out to my office wondering how they can be of help to others in this difficult time. Right now, the best thing you can do to help others is to comply with public health orders to stay home as much as possible, and maximize your distance from others when you go out for essential business and activities. My office is working with neighborhood and City leaders to identify volunteer opportunities, especially to support our youth, seniors, and high-risk populations and we will be announcing these opportunities via social media and other platforms as they become available.
 
As of now, we can share the following opportunities to contribute:

• The SF-Marin Food Bank and Meals on Wheels San Francisco are providing meals to those in need and are seeking volunteers and donations.
• Project Open Hand is also seeking healthy volunteers for food delivery assistance:
• The Mayor announced the Give2SF Fund which will allow the City to accept tax-deductible monetary contributions to be spent on efforts to respond to the coronavirus outbreak, including providing shelter, food and other assistance to individuals, families, and small businesses in San Francisco that are impacted by the virus. Find out more about the fund at www.give2sf.org.