Mayor says SF ‘very likely’ to extend shelter order

San Francisco Mayor London Breed announced at a Friday press conference that it was “very likely” The City would extend its stay-at-home order beyond the May 3 expiration date.

Bay Area county health officials have worked jointly to issue shelter orders since the first widespread, six-county order was enacted on March 17. The first order was set to expire April 7 but was extended to May 3.

Breed said:

“What that means is, you know, another few weeks or even a month of asking you all to comply and to remain at home and to continue to follow the social distancing orders that we put forth.”

The City is also facing a challenge in acquiring personal protective equipment, the mayor said.

So far, the City Administrator’s Office, which oversees contracts and purchases, has successfully purchased and obtained 15 million pieces of PPE like N-95 masks and medical gowns. The City also received donations from the private sector and about one million pieces of PPE from the state.

However, not all PPE purchase orders are being fulfilled. 

Breed said:

“The challenges we continue to face as a result of the coordinated response from our federal government has really put us all at a disadvantage.”

The mayor spoke about one PPE order that was redirected by suppliers in China and eventually ended up in France. She also said that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has taken PPE after passing through customs and distributed it elsewhere in the U.S.

Supplies meant for The City have also been seen listed on the market and sold to the highest bidder, according to Breed.

The mayor said:

“The fact that during the height of this pandemic we’re still having a conversation about PPE, it really does blow my mind.”

The City’s Department of Public Health reported Friday a total 1,340 Covid-19 cases and 22 deaths.