San Francisco bans gatherings of 100 or more people - smaller than a sold-out movie theater - to slow the spread of the coronavirus

san francisco mayor london breed

San Francisco has issued a Public Health Order banning all non-essential events of 100 or more persons, the city's mayor London Breed tweeted Friday.
The announcement comes just two days after San Francisco's decision to ban gatherings of over 1,000 people, and now restricts non-essential gatherings to a tenth of that size.
As of Friday, 23 people in the city tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus, according to San Francisco's Department of Public Health.
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San Francisco has issued a Public Health Order that bans all non-essential events of 100 or more people, the city's mayor London Breed tweeted Friday.

Santa Clara Country, comprising San Jose and much of Silicon Valley, announced a similar ban just hours earlier.

"This measure is necessary to slow the spread of novel coronavirus in the community," Mayor Breed said.

The order is the latest in the city's steps to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic sweeping across the country. Mayor Breed declared a state of emergency in the city back in February, allowing it to ramp up emergency planning, redirecting employees and resources in the case of an outbreak in San Francisco.

But the virus has continued to spread. Just two days ago, San Francisco had banned gatherings of more than 1,000 people, a restriction that would choke off attendance at events like Golden State Warriors games. The latest update restricts gatherings of a tenth that size, prohibiting city residents from attending a full movie theater or dining at a full mid-size restaurant.

As of Friday, the coronavirus outbreak has sickened more than 128,000 people and killed more than 4,700 globally. It is now present in at least 46 US states, prompting President Trump to declared a national emergency on Friday.

San Francisco's Department of Public Health says that 23 people in the city have so far tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus.

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