Mario Anzuoni/Reuters

The San Francisco Bay Area will be directed to "shelter in place" at 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday until April 7 in an attempt to contain the coronavirus outbreak.

The order will require residents to remain indoors except for essential travel, like going to get groceries.

The shelter-in-place order is different from a full lockdown, which would prohibit people from leaving their homes without government permission.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The Bay Area, including San Francisco, will be directed to "shelter in place" until April 7 in an attempt to contain the coronavirus outbreak, the San Francisco Chronicle first reported on Monday.

The directive, which will go into effect at 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday, affects six Bay Area counties, including the county and city of San Francisco.

As the Chronicle noted, the affected population totals more than 6.7 million people. They will still be allowed to go shopping for groceries and supplies.

The directive is not a full lockdown, so people will not be prohibited from leaving their homes without government permission. Instead, they're directed to stay inside and avoid contact with others as much as possible for three weeks. Law enforcement is being asked to "ensure compliance" with the order, according to the Chronicle.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed tweeted on Monday that residents would be required to stay home "except for essential needs."

Tweet Embed:

//twitter.com/mims/statuses/1239626809865416704?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Effective at midnight, San Francisco will require people to stay home except for essential needs.



Necessary government functions & essential stores will remain open.



These steps are based on the advice of public health experts to slow the spread of #COVID19.

Gatherings of more than 100 people were already banned last week, but now all nonessential events of any size are prohibited. Nonessential travel on foot or via scooters, bicycles, cars, and public transportation is also banned — though public transit will remain open for essential travel, and walks are still allowed, as long as people keep six feet between themselves and others.

People who are homeless are exempt from the order but are encouraged to seek shelter, according to the Chronicle.

Everyone must work from home or stop working, except for those providing essential services, like healthcare workers, law-enforcement officials, and firefighters and emergency responders.

Grocery stores, pharmacies, and restaurants will be allowed to stay open, as long as restaurants provide only takeout food.

NOW WATCH: How to find water when you're stuck in the desert