Coronavirus Update: San Francisco Shelter Order Extended To End Of May; Golden Gate Park's JFK Drive Limited To Pedestrians
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- Mayor London Breed announced Monday that San Francisco's stay-at-home order will be extended to the of May and that a portion of Golden Gate Park's main thoroughfare -- JFK Drive -- will be shut down to traffic to give pedestrians and joggers room to practice social distancing while getting some fresh air.
Like all San Franciscans, Breed said she has also been challenged by the continuing stay-at-home order, but that it must remain in place to limit the community spread of the coronavirus.
"We want to be very careful that we not take the steps out of frustration, out of concern, that we don't move too quickly and repeat mistakes that have been made in our past history," said Breed. "About a 100 years ago during the Spanish flu....when we thought the worst had passed us and people threw off their masks and went out into the street and partied and had a good time, a few days later we were even worse off than before. We don't want that to happen in our city."
She also said local FEMA officials have reached out to her to say they did not divert a shipment of personal protection equipment as it was making its way to San Francisco. Breed had complained bitterly about what she termed was a hijacking during a news conference last week and on an appearance Sunday on CBS' 'Face The Nation.'
Breed said during Monday's news conference that the city had been mislead by a third party supplier who made the claim that FEMA had re-routed the delivery elsewhere. She apologized to FEMA officials and said a federal investigation of the third party supplier was underway to determined what happened to the San Francisco shipment.
When it came to helping San Francisco deal with another month of being homebound, Breed said in addition to JFK Drive, John F. Shelley Drive in John McLaren Park would also be closed to vehicles until the stay-at-home order is finally lifted.
"We know that people need to go outside, whether to get exercise or just clear their head, and closing JFK and Shelley Drive to cars will make it easier for people who choose to leave their home to stay six feet apart from others," Breed said in a news release. "That said, we all need to work together to keep slowing the spread of COVID-19 in our community. Everyone must continue to stay home as much as possible and follow all public health recommendations."
The closures will begin Tuesday at 6:00 a.m. and will remain in effect until at least the end of May.
"Getting outdoors supports our physical and mental health," said Dr. Grant Colfax, Director of Health. "We need to continue to do it safely. Springtime weather and our extended stay home order make it tempting to gather outdoors, but to protect each other from the coronavirus we need to keep up San Francisco's good work: staying 6 feet away from anyone outside our households and covering our faces."
JFK Drive will be closed to vehicular traffic from Kezar Drive to Transverse Drive. Meanwhile, Shelley Drive will be closed to vehicular traffic for the duration of the stay home order. The gates at Cambridge and Mansell Streets will also be locked.
Last week, Breed announced the slow streets program to limit through traffic on select streets. Slow Streets are intended to provide a network of streets that prioritize walking and biking for essential trips while still allowing local vehicle traffic.
Here are those streets:
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- 17th Street -- from Noe to Valencia -- nearby Muni lines: 22 Fillmore, 33 Stanyan
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- 20th Avenue -- from Lincoln to Ortega -- nearby Muni lines: 28 - 19th Ave
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- 22nd Street -- from Valencia to Chattanooga -- nearby Muni lines: 48 Quintara
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- 41st Avenue -- from Lincoln to Vicente -- nearby Muni lines: 18 - 46th Ave
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- Ellis -- from Polk to Leavenworth -- nearby Muni lines: 27 Bryant, 38 Geary
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- Holloway -- from Junipero Serra to Harold -- nearby Muni lines: 7th Avenue, N Judah
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- Phelps -- from Oakdale to Evans -- nearby Muni lines: 23 Monterey, 44 O'Shaughnessy
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- Ortega -- from Great Highway to 14th Avenue -- nearby Muni lines: 7 Haight
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- Page -- from Stanyan to Octavia -- nearby Muni lines: 7 Haight
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- Quesada -- from Lane to Fitch -- nearby Muni lines: 23 Monterey, 44 O'Shaughnessy
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- Scott -- from Eddy to Page -- nearby Muni lines: 24 Divisadero
Please visit for a map of candidate Slow Streets, updated Muni service, and the latest agency updates.
