Santa Clara County residents, as well as residents in six other Bay Area counties, must shelter in place for at least three weeks in response to COVID-19, and only essential businesses will stay open, public health officers announced in an ongoing press conference this afternoon.
Beginning at 12:01 a.m. tomorrow, residents must stay at home and to avoid contact with others as much as possible. When out, people should remain apart from each other by at least six feet.
Only workers providing essential services may continue to go to work, and everyone else must either work from home or stop working. Businesses such as grocery stores, laundromats, pharmacies, banks, hardware stores and gas stations will remain open. Restaurants can only serve takeout food.
People experiencing homelessness are exempt from the order, although city officials are encouraged to provide them with shelter.
According to the County of Santa Clara Public Health Department, as of March 14 at 5 p.m., there were 138 confirmed cases of COVID-19 within the county.
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