First weekend of California stay-at-home order hits millions

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — California has never seen a weekend quite like this.

No sports practice for the kids. No dining out. No church services.

A little more than 24 hours after Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an unprecedented stay-at-home order to nearly 40 million residents to help curb the coronavirus spread, most Californians were faced with how to spend two days of free time with strict limits on their freedom.

If Friday, the first day under the order, offered any clue, it may involve calling or texting friends and loved ones, or leaving the house to buy food or walk the dog: two exceptions to the lockdown.

Many who ventured outside were still trying to figure out how to practice social distancing.

A farmer's market near Oakland's Lake Merritt was bustling on a Saturday morning with shoppers waiting in line at a produce stand to buy beets, strawberries and kale. Most stood several feet apart, but the spacing didn't appear to be enough for one woman who walked by and yelled “6 feet!” to remind everyone the rule for keeping a safe distance.

Some vendors required shoppers to order produce instead of picking them out themselves. One farmer posted a sign that said: “Don't touch what you won't buy please.”

“If you're not wearing rubber gloves and a mask, you shouldn't be here,” said Jeff Hyde, who had both on while selling smoked fish. He said sales were up at his stand.

“Food is king right now," he said. "People can't splurge on going to the movies or dining out, so they're buying food.”

At the farmers market in Pasadena, some people waited in lines and appeared to be trying to stay 6 feet apart. The stalls, however, were directly next to each other and shoppers picked out produce close together.

The Huntington Beach pier is typically full on a sunny...