SAN FRANCISCO—About 7 million people in the San Francisco Bay Area woke up on March 17 to nearly empty highways, shuttered stores, and vacant streets after officials issued an order for residents to stay at home and only leave for “essential” reasons, in a desperate attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Miguel Aguirre, 38, his wife, and two children were the only ones along a street near San Francisco’s City Hall, an area normally bustling with office workers and commuters. On the morning of March 17, only two coffee shops were open, and they were empty.
