After public officials around California spent last week urging residents to continue adhering to the statewide shelter-in-place order over Easter weekend, San Francisco Mayor London Breed is concerned about another popular day of gathering.

Every year on April 20, people flock to San Francisco to consume cannabis in celebration of “4/20,” the most well-known unofficial holiday for marijuana enthusiasts.

“I want to be clear with people who come to San Francisco on 4/20 to Robin Williams Meadow to celebrate 4/20,” Mayor Breed said Monday. “Do not come to San Francisco on 4/20. We will not allow this unsanctioned event to occur this year, especially at the height of a pandemic.”

Breed said the annual event at a location in Golden Gate Park commonly referred to as “Hippie Hill” has “been a challenge for us for so many years,” but acknowledged officials have made efforts such as fencing off the area and preventing alcohol and glass inside made it “a lot more manageable.”

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, there won’t be any tolerance or leniency for celebrants hoping to keep the tradition alive this year. Breed said San Francisco Police Department officers will be stationed inside the park to ensure the event won’t happen.

“The area will be fenced off, there will be police officers patrolling the area, we will cite and if necessary arrest,” Breed said. “We will not tolerate anyone coming to San Francisco for 4/20 this year.”

Breed also urged people who typically gather and celebrate 4/20 to avoid doing so in any alternate locations this year.

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Pac-12 football will be back in 2020, but the specifics remain a mystery “It is not safe for us to gather in large groups of people, especially during a pandemic,” Breed said. “Because the consequences could be deadly. Maybe not for you directly, but maybe for your mother, your grandmother or any other relative.”

Over the last several years, officials have estimated as many as 15,000-to-20,000 people have gathered in Golden Gate Park for 4/20 celebrations.