As counties across the Bay Area work to contain the coronavirus pandemic, residents have been ordered to stay home and leave only for essential trips — mandates that may remain in place until there is an effective treatment or vaccine for the disease.

While state orders do not supersede the local directives, in early May Gov. Gavin Newsom issued guidelines for counties wanting to reopen sooner, including requirements about testing, contact tracing and supporting employees who contract the virus.

Here’s a look at what you need to know about the updated shelter-in-place orders:

Q: Why are we being asked to stay at home?

A: To safeguard public health and safety. The coronavirus that causes COVID-19 is easily transmitted between people, especially in group settings. The shelter-in-place orders were enacted in March to slow the spread of the virus by mandating that people stay indoors and isolate themselves — except to attend to certain essential activities, according to the health orders.

Q: How many people are affected?

A: The nine Bay Area counties that instituted their own orders have a combined population of 7.8 million, but now all 40 million California residents are subject to restrictions.

Q: How long will shelter-in-place orders last in the Bay Area?

A: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Solano counties, as well as the city of Berkeley, have extended local shelter in place orders indefinitely, until health officers replace, amend or rescind them.

San Francisco laid out the city’s tentative, monthslong plan to reopen in late May. The goal is to reopen indoor retail, non-emergency medical procedures, spectator-less professional sports, outdoor restaurant dining and other activities in mid-June, provided the number of new cases and hospitalzations stay flat or decrease.

San Mateo County officials said they’d allow people to enter shops go to the beach and enter and places of worship to resume services starting June 1.

Newsom said several health and scientific indicators will be considered before modifying the state’s stay at home order to allow for additional loosening of restrictions:

• No more than 1 COVID-19 positive case per 10,000 people in the last 14 days.

• No COVID-19 death in the past 14 days.

• Minimum daily testing of 1.5 per 1,000 residents.

• Ability to temporarily house at least 15% of county residents experiencing homelessness.

• County or regional hospital capacity to accommodate a minimum surge of 35% in new COVID patients.

• Hospital facilities must have a robust plan to protect hospital workforce.

• Skilled nursing facilities must have more than 14 day supply of PPE on hand for staff with ongoing procurement from non-state supply chains.

• County metrics that serve as triggers for either slowing the pace through Stage Two or tightening modifications.

“While Californians have stepped up in a big way to flatten the curve and buy us time to prepare to fight the virus, at some point in the future we will need to modify our stay-at-home order,” Newsom said. “As we contemplate reopening parts of our state, we must be guided by science and data, and we must understand that things will look different than before.”

Q: Is shelter in place working?

A: There are hopeful signs. Though the case counts keep climbing, they’re not rising so fast as to suggest the regional outbreak is out of control, as it is in New York. The death toll in the Bay Area is mounting, and while that’s sobering news, it’s not increasing faster than anticipated.

As of May 13, San Francisco’s COVID-19 mortality rate was 35 times less than New York City’s and four times less than Los Angeles’ rate, the city’s health director said. “Thank you, San Francisco, for doing everything you can to slow the spread,” Dr. Grant Colfax said. “You’ve truly protected each other and you have protected populations who are most vulnerable during the pandemic.”

See updated infection numbers in our coronavirus tracker on SFChronicle.com.

Q: What is closed, and what stays open?

A: Counties initially shut down all but the most critical operations, according to the health orders. Places that attract clusters of people, like gyms, nightclubs or bars, remain closed. Restaurants are mandated to serve only take-out or delivery orders. Essential operations like hospitals, grocery stores, banks and pharmacies remain open. And all nonessential gatherings of any size are banned.

Essential state and local government functions, including emergency services, law enforcement and offices that provide government programs are open.

As places like San Francisco gradually reopen certain activities, people will be able to shop inside stores and, eventually dine indoors. But the broader shelter-in-place mandates will remain in effect.

Find a list of what’s open on SFChronicle.com.

California modified its stay at home order on May 8, moving into the first phase of Stage 2 of relaxing restrictions, allowing several additional business and services to reopen.

Retail: Retailers and shopping malls can re-open for delivery or curbside pickup, along with the manufacturing and logistics sectors that support retail. Retail does not include personal services such as beauty salons but does include stores that include the sale of goods, such as:

• Bookstores

• Jewelry stores

• Toy stores

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• Clothing and shoe stores

• Home and furnishing stores

• Sporting goods stores

• Florists

Most retail will reopen in San Francisco in June 15, with modifications that people wear masks in line and in stores and with limits on the number of people allowed in stores at one time.

Offices: in all sectors, not only critical infrastructure.

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San Francisco office workers should expect to telecommute through at least June 15.

Limited Services: These are businesses which do not generally require close customer contact, such as:

• • Pet grooming

• Dog walking

• Car washes

• Appliance repair

• Residential and janitorial cleaning

• Plumbing

Outdoor Museums: Which can maintain safe social distancing guidelines.

The state also laid down guidelines on May 12 that restaurants will have to meet before they can accommodate seated customers. They include physical distancing, face coverings for employees, regular regular cleaning and disinfection and employee training for preventing coronavirus spread.

Of the six Bay Area counties that acted as a bloc to issue stay-at-home orders in March, only San Francisco, San Mateo and Marin have announced plans, as of May 13, to take advantage of Newsom’s offer to allow nonessential businesses to reopen for curbside service.

Alameda, Contra Costa and Santa Clara counties have announced no changes to restrictions.

Outdoor museums, historical sites and botanical gardnes open in San Francisco on June 1.

Q: Can I still go outside for essentials, exercise and fresh air?

A: Yes. People are able to leave their homes to handle essential business and to get fresh air. But when people do need to leave their homes, health officials are asking them to stay at least 6 feet from other individuals and wash their hands for at least 20 seconds as often as possible. They’re also calling on people to wear masks while indoors in public spaces, and any time they leave their home and may encounter people not in their households.

Restrictions around outdoor activities have been relaxed, including the reopening of golf courses and skate parks, as well as lower-risk outdoor recreational activity, including walking, jogging, hiking and cycling.

Any recreation facilities that involve shared equipment or physical contact are still off-limits. Though, all social distancing recommendations are still expected to be used by people engaging in outdoor activities.

Q: If I have to go out, should I wear a face mask?

A: Residents in most Bay Area counties are required to wear masks covering the mouth and nose when in public settings. Any adults in stores, on transit or waiting in line on the sidewalk are required to be wearing some sort of facial covering. Walkers, cyclists, joggers and other exercisers are exempt. Santa Clara, Solano and Napa counties have urged but not required people to wear masks.

The California Department of Public Health has also issued a recommendation for all residents to wear some type of face covering while running essential errands during the statewide shelter-at-home order related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This follows CDC guidelines that advise Americans to voluntarily wear face coverings while in public to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The recommendation asked that people use basic “nonmedical, cloth” masks, including scarves and bandannas, to cover their noses and mouths when they leave home to go to the doctor, grocery store or other essential places.

San Francisco public health officials require residents to wear face coverings any time they leave home and get within 30 feet of anyone not living in their household. The rule is meant to provide an interval of time and space for people to slip on their masks before a close encounter with another person — the 30-foot gap can diminish rapidly, especially if people are running or biking.

Find tips on wearing, and donating masks on SFChronicle.com.

Q: I’m traveling and returning home to the Bay Area soon. Will I be allowed to come home?

A: Yes. The region’s shelter-in-place mandate does not prevent anyone from returning to their Bay Area home. But travelers should confirm their trip details with their airline.

Q: How are the counties enforcing the shelter-in-place-order?

A: In San Francisco, Police Chief Bill Scott said officials are looking for voluntary compliance with the shelter-in-place mandate and the rest of the health order. But the order does carry the weight of law: officers could write citations for failing to comply with it, but Scott made it clear that such a move would be a last resort.

The shelter-in-place order is not a mandatory lockdown for residents, which would forbid people from leaving their homes without explicit permission. But the health orders issued by the counties call for the sheriff or chief of police to “ensure compliance” in order to safeguard public health.

Q: What if I can’t get out of the home? How can I get supplies and food?

A: Contact friends, family, or others you know who can provide support. They are permitted to pick up supplies you may need.

Q: Can I visit loved ones in the hospital, nursing home, skilled nursing facility, or other residential care facility?

A: Generally, no. There are limited exceptions, such as if you are going to the hospital with a minor who is under 18 years old or someone who is developmentally disabled and needs assistance. For most other situations, other existing Orders of the Health Officer addressing this emergency prohibit non-necessary visitation to these kinds of facilities. If you need to know more, please contact the facility you want to visit by phone before you leave.

Q: What if I need medical attention? Can I go to the doctor?

A: As the Bay Area shelters in place, health care providers are urging everyone to stay home and away from hospitals except for emergencies, though the state now allows hospitals to schedule non-emergency operations. Telemedicine is a way to meet patients’ medical needs while keeping them distant — care conducted virtually by messaging apps, phone or video chat.

In San Francisco nonemergency medical appointments will resume on June 15, so long as the city continues to limit the transmission of the virus and suppress the numbers of new cases and hospitalizations.

Q: Can I leave home to visit friends or family members if there is no urgent need?

A: No. “For your safety as well as their safety, we need to help each other fight the spread of COVID-19 by staying at home,” San Francisco city officials said.

Q: Can I leave home to care for my elderly parents or friends who require assistance to care for themselves? Or a friend or family member who has disabilities?

A: Yes. Be sure that you protect them and yourself by following social-distancing guidelines such as washing hands before and after, using hand sanitizer, maintaining at least 6 feet of distance when possible, and coughing or sneezing into a tissue.

Q: If parents are working from home or working outside the home for essential businesses, are they permitted to have a nanny or babysitter care for their children?

A: The order allows for babysitters and nannies to help care for children at home to allow parents to work for essential businesses or provide essential services, as well as to help parents who must work from home, or to help parents who cannot care for their children without that assistance. To the extent possible, babysitters and nannies as well as kids should follow social distancing protocols when outside the home.

Q: Are child care facilities open?

A: The order allows child care facilities to operate but they can only care for the children of essential employees who are permitted to work under the order. Child care operators are not expected to confirm if all children they care for are from families with essential workers, but they should tell parents the rules.

Q: What’s the impact on public and private transportation?

A: Airports, taxis, and public transit — including BART — will remain operational, but only for essential travel and people are expected to wear face coverings and keep 6 feet apart when possible.

See a detailed FAQ on transit and parking on SFChronicle.com.

Nonessential travel “on foot, bicycle, scooter, automobile or public transit” is prohibited. But people are able to leave their homes to exercise and get fresh air, provided they can practice safe social distancing.

People may travel for shopping for necessary supplies, accessing health care, and providing aid to family and friends who need assistance, and for non-residents, returning to their home outside the Bay Area, according to the health orders.

Q: Can I use ride-hailing or on-demand service or a taxi?

A: Yes, but only for essential travel.

Q: Can I move residences under the shelter-in-place?

A: Yes. Under the Bay Area-wide shelter-in-place orders, moving and delivery services like U-Haul are allowed, but not required, to operate. If their movers are willing, the workers should practice 6 feet of social distancing and sanitation as specified in local health orders.

Q: Am I allowed to leave my home to move my car for street sweeping?

A: Yes. The San Francisco MTA is asking residents to move their cars for street cleaning if they can to prevent trash buildup and local flooding.

Q: This shelter-in-place mandate is hurting my income. What if I can’t pay rent or mortgage?

A: Gov. Newsom issued an evictions moratorium for the state, which is in effect through May 31.

Under the executive order, through evictions related to non-payment of rent for COVID-19-related economic hardships have been halted. Make sure to let your landlord know in writing no later than seven days after the rent is due, and save documentation as proof.

If you can’t pay your mortgage, the governor has reached an agreement with financial institutions to give relief which allows you to reduce or delay your monthly mortgage payment. California has placed a moratorium on foreclosure sales or evictions for 60 days.

See a detailed FAQ on the economy at SFChronicle.com.

Q: Can I still get deliveries from online stores?

A: Yes. The mail and other delivery services to your home can continue to function, including food delivery services. Businesses that deliver goods or services directly to residences are essential businesses that may continue to operate.

Chronicle staff writer Mallory Moench contributed to this report.

Dominic Fracassa and Aidin Vaziri are San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dfracassa@sfchronicle.com, avaziri@sfchronicle.com