A woman wearing a mask walks through a terminal at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Monday, March 16, 2020, in Arlington, Va. (Photo: AP)

Six Bay Area counties are preparing to announce a virtual lockdown in the face of the rapidly expanding coronavirus pandemic aimed at slowing transmission of the deadly COVID-19 respiratory disease, The Orange County Register reported.

San Mateo and Santa Clara county officials confirmed that the 1 p.m. announcement will involve those counties as well as San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin and the city of Berkeley, which has its own independent public health authority. They described the new order as a “shelter in place,” according to The Orange County Register. 

The announcement involves a legal order from the health officers of those counties directing their respective residents to shelter at home for three weeks beginning March 17. The order limits activity, travel and business functions to only the most essential needs, The Orange County Register reported.

In addition, health care, law and safety, and essential government functions will continue under the recommended action, according to The Orange County Register.