On Tuesday, the Stay Safe at Home order was extended until May 3 in San Francisco and surrounding counties, and updated as follows: 

• Social distancing requirements are mandatory.
• Use of playgrounds, outdoor gym equipment, picnic areas, barbecue areas, shared recreational facilities like golf courses, tennis courts, basketball courts, and climbing walls are prohibited. 
• Sports or activities that include the use of shared equipment, like frisbee, basketball, or soccer, may only be engaged in by members of the same household. 
• Use of enclosed dog parks is prohibited. Open spaces that allow dogs, like Crissy Field are open.
• Essential businesses that continue to operate must post a social distancing protocol to ensure proper sanitation and distancing.  
• Non-essential businesses must cease all activities at their facilities within San Francisco, except to provide minimum basic operations, such as maintaining the value of a business’s inventory, keeping the business site safe and secure, ensuring that employees are able to work remotely, or providing for the delivery of existing inventory to residences or businesses. Employees may otherwise work from home.
• Most construction work must stop, with exceptions for healthcare and other essential projects, homeless and affordable housing, and work necessary for safety and habitability. Social distancing requirements apply at all times.
• The order was also updated to require corner stores selling alcohol be closed to the public every day between 8:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.

Stay at Home FAQs are updated regularly, and Public Health Orders are available online. 

• The Federal CARES Act includes forgivable loans and grants to small businesses and certain nonprofits, including loans through a new SBA 7(a) Paycheck Protection Program that can be forgiven when used for payroll costs (including paid leave, health care, and other costs), including for independent contractors, sole-proprietors, and other self-employed people. Small businesses can also apply for up to $10,000 in grants to retain workers and pay for debt obligations.

• Mayor Breed announced a new Small Business Emergency Loan Fund to support small businesses facing sudden revenue loss from COVID-19. The $10 million fund commits $9 million to a new Emergency Loan Fund, and an additional $1 million to expand the COVID-19 Small Business Resiliency Fund.

• The Mayor also announced the creation of a COVID-19 Economic Recovery Task Force charged with guiding the City’s efforts to sustain and recover local businesses and employment, and mitigate the economic hardships that are already affecting the most vulnerable San Franciscans. 

• On Thursday, the Governor announced that the state is allocating $50 million to the California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank for loan guarantees to small businesses to help eliminate barriers to capital for individuals who do not qualify for federal funds, including low wealth and undocumented immigrant communities. The state is also allowing small businesses to defer payment of sales and use taxes of up to $50,000, for up to 12 months.

• The Governor also issued an executive order to provide tax, regulatory and licensing extensions for businesses including a 90-day extension to July 31 for tax returns and tax payments for all businesses filing a return for less than $1 million in taxes, and to extend the statute of limitations to file a claim for refund by 60 days to accommodate tax and fee payers.

• The City’s Workers and Families First Paid Sick Leave Program includes $10 million in funding to support businesses and nonprofits to provide additional paid sick leave to employees, over and above their existing policies. Businesses may apply here . 

• The Federal CARES Act includes a major expansion of Unemployment Insurance, including for furloughed workers, contractors and gig economy workers, and the self-employed; and direct cash payments depending on household income. 
   
• Governor Newsom announced $17.8 million in new state initiatives to support California workers impacted by COVID-19. The allocation will come from Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act funds with $7.8 million going to the Los Angeles region and $10 million made available statewide.
   
• The Governor also joined Bitwise Industries in announcing OnwardCa.org, a platform connecting COVID-19 displaced workers with over 70,000 job opportunities in critical industries.

• Covered California has extended open enrollment for federally-subsidized health insurance to June 30. Anyone can sign up.

• SFMTA announced new service and parking enforcement updates this week. All Muni rail service will be replaced with buses, and Muni Metro stations will be closed except for downtown stations serving BART. The 5R, 9R, 28R, and 38R rapid bus routes will be discontinued but local routes will continue. Additionally, MTA will not longer be issuing citations for parking meter violations. Keep track of Muni service and parking enforcement updates here. 

• Caltrain also announced a reduction in service. See www.caltrain.com for updated weekday scheduling.

• See a full list of what City services are open, including County Clerk services at City Hall

• The Board of Supervisors and most committees are meeting virtually. 

• The Department of Building Inspection is closed to visitors. DBI is answering calls and emails and is processing permits and doing inspections of essential construction projects. If you have permit or enforcement questions, email the Permit Center team at permitcenter@sfgov.org. You may also file a complaint online here . 

• The Planning Department is open for business remotely and staff are available by email. The Property Information Map and on-line permit center, where you can file new applications, are available 24/7.​​​​​​

• The Mayor issued a local eviction moratorium on March 13 that prohibits most types of no-fault evictions, including for unpaid rent due to COVID-19, until June 21. My office is working with the Mayor’s Office and Rent Board to ensure an accessible process and adequate support for all tenants.
   
• The Governor announced that most financial institutions in California will be offering mortgage relief for homeowners effective March 25, including a 90-day grace period for mortgage payments, and a suspension of fees and late charges, and a 60-day moratorium on foreclosures and evictions.

• As the San Francisco shelter-in-place order has been extended and in accordance with state law, the new property tax deadline is May 4, 2020 (the first business day after the shelter-in-place order is lifted). Taxpayers who are unable to pay by this date for reasons related to COVID-19 should submit a request for a penalty waiver online. Please note that penalty waiver requests will not accepted until after the property tax deadline. Click here to read the full statement from Treasurer José Cisneros.
   
• On March 17, the Mayor announced a commercial eviction moratorium for unpaid rent due to COVID-19 for small and medium-sized businesses with less that $25 million in annual gross receipts until at least May 3. See more information and resources or contact the Office of Small Business at 415-554-6134 or sfosb@sfgov.org
   
• Under the Federal CARES Act , renters in public or assisted housing who are unable to pay their rent are protected from eviction for 4 months; and homeowners with FHA, USDA, VA, or Section 184 or 184A mortgages (for members of federally-recognized tribes) and those with mortgages backed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac have the right to request forbearance on their payments for up to 6 months, with a possible extension for another 6 months without fees, penalties, or extra interest. 

• San Francisco Rent Board sfrb.org at 415-252-4631 
• San Francisco Tenants Union sftu.org at 415-282-6622
• Housing Rights Committee hrcsf.org at 415-703-8644 or 415-947-9085
• Legal Assistance for the Elderly at laesf.org/COVID19 or 415-538-3333

• This week the City announced the Mon Ami volunteer match program to enable volunteers to call isolated seniors for friendly check-ins and to coordinate errand runs for groceries, prescriptions, and other essentials. In partnership with the City, Mon Ami will provide free access to its smartphone app for the month of April to all impacted community members and volunteers. The program is being piloted by OpenHouse, our fabulous local service provider for housing and support services to seniors and adults with disabilities. The Office of Transgender Initiatives is assisting with the pilot program.
   
• See more options to become an emergency volunteer here.

• This City is hiring Care Providers to meet San Francisco's growing demand for caregivers at this time. Salaries range from $18.50 to $30 an hour with opportunities for great health and transportation benefits. Find out how to apply here. 

• SFUSD is accepting donations to support the free meal program 

• The City’s Give2SF Fund is accepting 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.