Coronavirus: Is Social Pressure Enough to Keep Northern Californians Home?
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - The streets outside the Golden 1 Center on any given Saturday night are busy, but not this weekend.
Empty streets can be found in nearly any Northern California community after Governor Gavin Newsom issued a statewide stay-at-home order amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Only people like Keith Gary are in sight, as he grabbed his barbecue to go. Gary is in support of staying home as much as possible.
"We've got to do something," Gary said. "We can't just put everybody in a bubble."
Gary said he's never seen the streets so eerie, but he's still seen some people not cooperating.
"Some people are taking this serious," Gary said. "If they don't comply then we'll have to do other drastic measures.
That could be said for many east of Sacramento in Placerville on Thursday after the governor put out the order.
"There are still some restaurants that are open — for dine-in," said James Hennig, who was taking a stroll through Placerville with Nicole Sutherland.
Some restaurants are still serving people at their tables and choosing to follow El Dorado County's direction instead. That directive went into effect on Friday.
"I'm just following their letter to the law cause that's what I have to follow, is the county," said Ben Butler, owner of Bene in downtown Placerville.
But on Saturday, the town seemed to be operating as it should. Amore Mio Italian Bistro's Mari Sciamanna and Sigrid Zandate knew something like was coming.
Both are from Italy and have been keeping tabs on their family back home. Despite all their empty seats, they still have hope.
"We've got to be faithful," said Sciamanna, as the restaurant's phone rang. "Faithful that that's a to-go order and we pray."
The pair said there's only one thing we can do, as we take lessons from the rest of the world battling the coronavirus, including Italy.
"It's kind of weird because we need to be separated physically but we need to be united mentally," said Sciamanna.
That includes anywhere, from Placerville to downtown Sacramento and beyond.
"Everybody needs to do their part," said Gary.
Governor Newsom in his message on Saturday said he believes in the spirit of Californians and hopes that the social pressure is enough to keep people inside. He went on to say he doesn't believe there will be any penalties for businesses or law enforcement help should be necessary.