By Grace Hase
The rest of California will join the Bay Area by sheltering in place to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Gov. Gavin Newsom broke news of the order Thursday evening, telling reporters that it goes into effect at midnight with no end in sight.
That makes the April 7 sunset of the Bay Area mandate moot.
The governor said state officials will announce what’s legally classified as essential businesses—the ones exempt from the directive—in the coming hours at covid19.ca.gov.
A similar order enacted by Santa Clara County and six neighboring jurisdictions earlier this week defines essential businesses as grocery stores, restaurants, health care offices, news outlets, contractors working on building homes, and so on.
