Coronavirus in California: What Are the Rules for ‘Stay at Home’? – The New York Times

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Over the weekend, roughly 40 million Californians adjusted to life under a sweeping new order to stay at home, even as questions lingered about what, exactly, that means.

For small businesses, there was plenty of confusion over how it was determined whether they were essential.

[What does it mean to shelter in place?]

My colleagues Conor Dougherty and Thomas Fuller reported that even in the Bay Area, already several days into its massive containment experiment, there was plenty of room for interpretation.

Rather than get bogged down in questions, Matt Haney, a member of the San Francisco board of supervisors, said hes advising businesses to simply think of the common good.

On Wednesday, a gin distillery that had been deemed as nonessential asked him if it could convert into a factory that makes hand sanitizer.

In normal times, Mr. Haney said, that request would be met with various permitting requests and neighborhood and civic meetings that together would take months or years to satisfy, if it was possible at all. His advice: If youre able to make hand sanitizer, then do it.

[What does it mean to call in the National Guard?]

Theres no decision maker in an office somewhere stamping expedited permits, he said. Theres a wartime feel to it, where if you are doing something that is contributing to public health then thats the right thing to do.

Local leaders have been emphasizing that they dont want to punish people who violate the restrictions.

But theyve said that as theyve encountered residents or businesses not complying, enforcement is likely to ramp up.

The police chief of San Jose, Eddie Garcia, said Friday that his officers had already broken up gatherings in the city. The city also ordered a gun shop closed earlier this week. (Gun shops were declared nonessential by Mayor Sam Liccardo.)

Chief Garcia said he was incredulous at some of the businesses that tried to stay open.

A billiards hall. Are you kidding me? he said. I dont know how a billiards hall thought they could be open through this time.

[Heres what to know before you go to the grocery store.]

As the weekend wore on, big outdoor spaces explicitly exempted from new restrictions were crowded with people grasping for some sense of normalcy.

In the East Bay, The San Francisco Chronicle reported, parks and beaches were so packed that officials may be forced to close some of them.

San Diegans flocked to beaches and parks, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune, prompting county health officials to plead with residents to stay home.

In Malibu on Saturday, hikers on a wide trail mostly edged away from one another as they passed, even if their ecstatic dogs played together under a clear blue sky. Some, however, walked in larger groups down the center of the path.

A group of young roommates narrated their walk to a phone. An older woman wore a T-shirt that read, Stay Away, written in marker, accented by a hand-drawn heart.

[Read about how warmer weather may slow, but not stop, the spread of the coronavirus.]

Mayor Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles said on Sunday that after seeing the flood of people heading toward the water in Venice, hed be working with other leaders around the county to close beach parking lots, and if necessary, close off beaches altogether.

Your decision to not physically distance yourself may kill someone, he said. Dont take risks, dont mess around, dont be selfish.

[Check here for statistics and more information about the coronavirus outbreak in California.]

Heres more about which businesses are considered essential:

On Friday, after the statewide stay-at-home order went into effect, officials posted a longer document laying out which workers and businesses are considered essential and how theyd be allowed to operate.

Among the businesses that will be allowed to keep operating are convenience stores that sell food, liquor stores, cannabis dispensaries and laundromats.

You can read the list in full here, though state officials have said the directive could evolve in days and weeks to come.

[Read more about which industries and companies are hiring a lot.]

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President Trump approved a major disaster declaration that Mr. Newsom had requested earlier on Sunday. The move will bring more federal resources to help California fight the Covid-19 outbreak.

Pacific Gas & Electric reached a deal with the governor, clearing a major hurdle to exiting bankruptcy. (The plan needs a judges approval, but a signoff from the governor makes that more likely.) [The New York Times]

Firefighters are finding themselves squeezed from both sides amid the pandemic, which could make wildfire season much more difficult. [The New York Times]

And Hayward is set to open a coronavirus testing center that will prioritize emergency workers. [KQED]

As requested, the U.S. Navy is set to send a 1,000-bed hospital ship to the Port of Los Angeles this week. Its based in San Diego. [City News Service]

Want to understand how the coronavirus spread across the world? Heres a graphic explainer. [The New York Times]

Through this whole ordeal, we didnt want her to get lost in the story. Thousands of people have been dying from the coronavirus. Theyve been laid to rest without big gatherings. But the family of Loretta Mendoza Dionisio, outgoing and unstoppable, wanted her to be remembered as more than a statistic. [The New York Times]

[Read the latest updates on the coronavirus pandemic here.]

I dont know about you, but last week felt like a lifetime to me. And this week seems unlikely to be any less strange and anxiety-ridden.

Well have some more pet photos soon, but first, here are some tips for staying sane. They include setting small, achievable goals, finding joy and turning your panic into service. (Heres a list of organizations to get you started, if youre in a position to donate.)

And on the bright side, you can go to the hottest parties happening anywhere, and you can stay in your sweats; theyre all happening online.

California Today goes live at 6:30 a.m. Pacific time weekdays. Tell us what you want to see: CAtoday@nytimes.com. Were you forwarded this email? Sign up for California Today here and read every edition online here.

Jill Cowan grew up in Orange County, graduated from U.C. Berkeley and has reported all over the state, including the Bay Area, Bakersfield and Los Angeles but she always wants to see more. Follow along here or on Twitter, @jillcowan.

California Today is edited by Julie Bloom, who grew up in Los Angeles and graduated from U.C. Berkeley.

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Coronavirus in California: What Are the Rules for 'Stay at Home'? - The New York Times