S.F. Announces Increased Coronavirus Testing, Shelter-In-Place Restrictions

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SFPD Chief Bill Scott at a virtual press conference on March 27. Photo by SFGovTV.

As the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in San Francisco rose to nearly 300 and the death toll to 3 on March 27, San Francisco officials held a virtual press conference to announce tightening rules for the shelter-in-place order meant to curb the spread of the virus.

Mayor London Breed said parking lots at major parks and beaches would be closed to prevent crowds from gathering there and encouraged residents seeking fresh air to find it at their local parks rather than driving to far-flung outdoor attractions.

“We don’t want people to get in their cars and drive to Ocean Beach. What we want people to do is stay at home and when they need to go out and get some air, walk outside, go and to a park within the proximity of your neighborhood,” Breed said.

Police Chief Bill Scott warned that while the department’s aim is not to arrest violators of the shelter-in-place order, officers would soon be left with no choice but to enforce.

“We’ll be out this weekend and some of the places where we’ve had issues with gatherings that include the Embarcadero, Dolores Park and other city parks, the Marina Green, the Panhandle, Stern Grove,” Scott said. “We do think that education has worked. However, education can only go so far. And there will come a time where we will have to enforce.”

Officials also promised an increase in testing capacity. Breed said the city’s public health department is now running 150 tests a day, up from 50 when the city first began testing, and that capacity would increase to as many as 450 tests per day. Those figures do not include private labs’ testing capacities.

“Our plan is to keep improving our testing capacity, and further in the next few weeks,” Breed said. She also warned: “Simply put, the more testing we can do, the more cases we will find.”

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