Thread by @latimes

Of the 20 most populous cities in the U.S., San Francisco has the lowest death rate per capita from COVID-19. If the entire country had followed the city’s approach, says a @UCSF doctor, there would be just 50,000 dead from the pandemic instead of 220,000+ latimes.com/california/sto…

Experts credit San Francisco’s success to a long partnership between public health officers and universities, most notably during the AIDS crisis. San Francisco is not monolithic, but its residents largely followed health guidelines.

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The tech industry played a role too. Companies ordered their employees to work from home two weeks before San Francisco and other Bay Area counties shut down, Signaling to the rest of the region that they were taking the coronavirus seriously.

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Mayor London Breed's approach to the pandemic has largely shaped the city's success.
She decided early to prioritize saving lives over the economy and hasn't hesitated to scold residents who break the rules.
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San Francisco’s public health director Dr. Grant Colfax became known for his grim warnings of how the virus could spin out of control.
He was early in tipping off the mayor to COVID-19's potential to devastate the city. latimes.com/california/sto…

SF police also helped enforce the health rules. When long lines sprung up, officers arrived to ensure people were distancing and wearing masks. Police patrolled the parks on the weekends and handed out masks. latimes.com/california/sto…

San Francisco rapidly expanded tests, making the city a national leader in testing. It also worked with @UCSF to build a strong contact tracing program and devoted resources to the city’s Mission District, a source of many of the infections.

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