YBCBD to Continue with Priority Service

By March 30, 2020News

Amid society’s new reality with COVID-19, our incredible team of service providers and staff are at work to keep Yerba Buena clean and safe. With the City of San Francisco extending its Public Health Order to shelter in place until May 3, 2020 to slow the spread of the virus, the YBCBD is doing its part to support our neighborhood during this tumultuous and emotional time. This update provides important service information, news and perspective about how about COVID-19 effects Yerba Buena. We wish you all good health and encourage you to follow City of San Francisco and CDC guidelines to protect yourself and those most vulnerable to the disease.

YBCBD to Continue with Priority Services
The YBCBD is continuing with priority services, including those listed below. Moving forward, it’s most important to us to ensure the well-being of our staff and service providers. We have rigorous health and safety measures in place. In addition to adhering to the City of San Francisco Public Health Department and CDC guidelines, we have incorporated measures of our own to limit exposure between team members, to maintain social distancing, and to evaluate worker health.

    • YBCBD-funded San Francisco Police Department Patrols. The SFPD bike patrol officer we fund will continue to patrol Yerba Buena, keeping an eye on people and property. For emergencies, call 911.
    • Clean Team. Our Clean Team will conduct priority services. These services include pressure washing, disinfecting street fixtures and other fixed assets, removing graffiti, removing human and animal feces, removing litter and cleaning curb lines. Please note that our Dispatch Center will remain closed and we ask you call 311 for cleaning services, as needed.
    • Community Guides. Our guides will focus on assisting the Clean Team with disinfecting street fixtures, reporting certain cleaning needs to the City’s 311 service, and keeping an eye out for safety issues to report either to our SFPD Bike Patrol officer or by calling 911. A major role of our guides during normal times is to assist visitors and this temporary shift reflects our new priorities.
    • Support for District Businesses. We’re promoting essential service businesses that remain open on YBCBD.org, Facebook, and Twitter, and on other platforms.

Additional Neighborhood Information

    • Tent Encampments Allowed to Remain Throughout the City. To prevent the spread of the virus among the San Francisco’s street population, the City will not move encampments as described in the Public Health Order and is asking individuals in tents to shelter in place. Our Community Guides will not be proactively working with the street population until the Public Health Order is lifted.
    • Moscone West Becomes a New Shelter | Moscone South Used as Emergency Operations Center. On March 27, the City announced a plan to create more social distance at the City’s shelters and Navigation Centers by opening a new shelter at Moscone Center West. The City said, this plan will allow it to “relocate some people who are currently in shelters and Navigation Centers to Moscone West, where they will continue to have access to meals, showers and hygiene products, and case management provided by the City and non-profit providers.” The City anticipates relocating up to 400 people to Moscone West. In mid-March, the City moved its Emergency Operations Center to Moscone South to allow for social distancing among emergency personnel and coordination among City departments.

We’re deeply appreciative to our City leaders, first responders and the health care community for addressing this health crisis, and to our remarkable teams that are continuing to work during this unprecedented situation.

The YBCBD will continue to provide updates about our services directly, online and through social media at YBCBD.org, Facebook, and Twitter @YBCBD, and we appreciate your patience in the weeks and months ahead.