Yes, Do This at Home

The quietest Saturday night, probably ever, at BJ's

It was Pi Day on Saturday, and BJ's Brewhouse was offering a mini-pizza for $3.14. The youngster and I decided to avail ourselves of the promotion, and besides, who knows how much longer we'll be permitted to dine out? (Not long, it turned out.)

I brought out the canister of Clorox tissues and wiped down our area. Hey, I wasn't the only one doing it. Hypochondriac, thy name is legion.

We feasted on our pies, made more enjoyable by a $10 coupon that expires on April 5th. It was fortunate that we used it.

Last night health authorities ordered residents of six Bay Area counties, including San Mateo, to "shelter in place": [bold added]

Six Bay Area counties announced “shelter in place” orders for all residents on Monday — the strictest measure of its kind yet in the continental United States — directing everyone to stay inside their homes and away from others as much as possible for the next three weeks in a desperate move to curb the rapid spread of coronavirus across the region.

The directive was set to begin at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday and involves San Francisco, Santa Clara, San Mateo, Marin, Contra Costa and Alameda counties — a combined population of more than 6.7 million. It is to stay in place until at least April 7. The three other Bay Area counties — Sonoma, Solano and Napa — did not issue similar mandates.

Just outside the Bay Area, Santa Cruz County late Monday also announced a “shelter in place” order for its 275,000 residents.

The orders — which are all similarly worded — fall just short of a full lockdown, which would forbid people from leaving their homes without explicit permission. The orders (read San Francisco’s here in its entirety at tinyurl.com/waddyqv) call for county and city sheriffs and police chiefs to “ensure compliance,” and local authorities said they would not “rush to enforce” the directives as residents adjusted to understand what activities are no longer allowed. Violation of the orders is considered a misdemeanor punishable by a fine or jail time.

Businesses that do not provide “essential” services must send workers home. Among those remaining open are grocery stores, pharmacies, restaurants for delivery only and hardware stores. Most workers are ordered to stay home, with exceptions including health care workers; police, fire and other emergency responders; and utility providers such as electricians, plumbers and sanitation workers. BART will run for essential travel, and airports are not closing.

I heard the news on the radio and rushed out to buy some replacement faucets and light fixtures at Home Depot. It was a relief to discover that hardware stores will remain open during the near-lockdown; any project, no matter how small, always involves more than one trip to Home Depot.