Coronavirus updates: 13 confirmed cases; preparation begins for shelter-at-home
Starting at 5 p.m. Thursday, all San Luis Obispo County residents will be required to take shelter in their homes, and are asked to not leave them except for essential purposes.
The order prompted confusion among Cal Poly students soon after it was announced Wednesday afternoon, with some wondering if they would still be able to leave San Luis Obispo once finals are completed, as they’ve been asked to do by university officials.
Meanwhile, San Luis Obispo County is expected to come to a grinding halt Thursday evening, as all non-essential businesses are expected to close and all non-essential activities come to an end to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Number of coronavirus cases rises to double digits
The number of residents who have tested positive for coronavirus has increased to 13 people as of Thursday.
In a positive note, some of the earliest patients appear to have fully recovered as of Thursday, and the county is exploring how often those individuals need to be tested, and when they could be declared clean and able to exit quarantine.
Essential businesses will stay open through shelter-at-home order
At 5 p.m. Thursday, county residents are ordered to shelter in their homes, and all non-essentials businesses to shut down.
But what qualifies a business as essential? A list provided by San Luis Obispo County includes grocery stores, gas stations, childcare providers and wineries — with some conditions.
Meanwhile, shoppers were out in force early in the day to stock up on supplies, causing a line to wrap around Costco in San Luis Obispo by mid-morning.
SLO County bans evictions
In response to the coronavirus pandemic, San Luis Obispo County took steps Wednesday to prevent evictions across the county.
San Luis Obispo County, in partnership with all seven cities, issued a countywide ban on evictions Wednesday evening.
The executive order applies only to evictions for non-payment of rent or foreclosures due to a substantial decrease in household or business income, or substantial out-of-pocket medical expenses related to COVID-19.
Cal Poly students unsure about futures, leave campus
In the middle of finals week and during an already jarring end to the winter quarter, Cal Poly students were confused upon receiving San Luis Obispo County’s orders to shelter-at-home starting Thursday.
Would the orders stop students from being able to return home as they had been told to do? According to an email from university President Jeffrey Armstrong Wednesday, the answer is “no.”
So many began the process of packing up dorms and heading home, unsure what might happen to the rest of their school year.
Santa Barbara County cases increase
Santa Barbara County jumped to eight confirmed cases of coronavirus on Thursday.
According to their public health department, five of those cases are in northern Santa Barbara County.
This story was originally published March 19, 2020 at 9:45 AM with the headline "Coronavirus updates: 13 confirmed cases; preparation begins for shelter-at-home."
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