The Mission District at the outset of this week seemed calm, but far from deserted, in spite of fears about coronavirus/COVID-19 transmission that kept some people at home and practicing “social distancing.”
At Pete’s Barbecue almost all the tables were full, and three people stood waiting in line for the popular roasted-chicken-and-sides meals. In addition, Taqueria El Farolito at 24th and Mission, and the nearby Pollo Campero and Mission’s Kitchen were all lively and full of customers.
At Jim’s Restaurant near the corner of 20th and Mission, however, owner Ok Kim gestured to the empty tables and counter. “Look at this! Look!”
“Since a few weeks ago,” she continued, “it’s been like this. In the morning. We have a little bit of business, and then nothing.”
A man came in, but not to have lunch — he wanted to apply for a job. “Oh no, we won’t hire anyone right now.” Kim told him. At 2:20 p.m., only two people sat in the small window booth, the only customers in the place.
And yet, Anthony P., working the cash register at That’s It Market, said he didn’t see much difference in business between this week and two weeks ago. “So far, nothing’s happened here,” he said. “As long as you wash your hands, you should be fine.”
The city of San Francisco’s decision to cancel all nonessential events scheduled on city properties has encouraged others to do the same. City College will suspend classes starting March 12, move spring break up to March 23, and — ostensibly — resume instruction starting March 30.
On a smaller scale, Charlie Jane Anders, organizer of the long-running reading series Writers With Drinks, decided to cancel the March show. That event would’ve showcased five writers at the Make-Out Room on 22nd Street. Anders, a Hugo and Nebula-award-winning author, wrote that she was sad, but sure of her decision.
“The next two or three weeks are going to be a crucial window in slowing the spread of COVID-19 in the United States,” she wrote. “’Social distancing’ is going to be a key factor in flattening the curve of the virus’s spread. Just in the past 24 hours, a ton of other literary, spoken word and storytelling events have canceled in the Bay Area, so this feels like the right choice.”
And although Bay Area musician and doctor Rupa Marya has presented San Francisco Mayor London Breed (as well as Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf) with a letter with 3,600 signatures requesting a moratorium on evictions during this time, many locals remain concerned about their solvency. (Update: As of March 10, there were 4,700 signatures.)
Via social media, Eden Stein, owner of Secession Art & Design at 3235 Mission St., put out a plea this past weekend. “Our family depends on people going out in the community,” she wrote, appending a photo of herself and her small baby. “When people do not shop we have no money for food, rent, and operating expenses.”
Her husband works as an audio engineer, and the events where he would generally work have been cancelled.
“Please support your community by carefully showing up, shopping online, or buying gift cards for future use,” Stein wrote. “We are in this together.”
Most people see the effort as standard personal hygiene for the purpose of avoiding catching the virus. It’s a normative concept of individualism and independence: People are personally responsible for their health and getting is due to not taking proper precautions. That’s a narrative people like because it makes them totally in control of their health.
But in actuality, the public health objective is to get people who have any cold type symptoms to stay away from other people. That’s a non-normative message that people need to first think of their neighbors’ health by choosing to inconvenience themselves. That’s a narrative people don’t like because it says health isn’t a personal situation, it’s a collective condition. And that’s a unwelcome socialist narrative.
Socialist narrative? GMAB it is the ethial and moral thing to do. Problem is many Americans are too selfish
Wash your hand y’all! And don’t touch your face!
SF does one thing, Santa Clara another and then Sacramento seems to be throwing in the towel and ending previous attempts to stop spread of virus.
We are screwed.
My son works at the Exploratorium running the tactile dome inside the museum. The tactile dome is closed to the public due to the corona virus.