Bay Area residents practice social distancing as they gather for singalong belting out Tony Bennett's I Left My Heart in San Francisco to honor frontline workers
Bay Area residents practiced social distancing as they gathered for a powerful moment of solidarity to sing Tony Bennett's I Left My Heart in San Francisco on Saturday.
The singalong of the iconic song lifted locals' spirits and praised healthcare workers toiling in the front lines of the coronavirus crisis.
Bennett, 93, whose famous song I Left My Heart in San Francisco released in 1962 has become the city’s theme song, asked city residents to join in the communal song on Saturday at noon.
A small crowd of people practicing social distancing gathered in the Union Square on Saturday where jazz singer Mark Robinson sang the moving anthem while wearing a mask in a powerful rendition livestreamed online. 
Jazz singer Mark Robinson belted out Bennett's iconic 1960's tune that has become the official theme song of San Francisco from Union Square. A few people attended his performance while wearing masks and practicing social distancing
Paul Torney, Regional Vice President of Fairmont Hotels, led hotel workers in the singalong in front of a statue of Tony Bennett in San Francisco on Saturday. Both he and the statue were wearing masks
The San Francisco Opera shared their moving rendition of the Bay Area theme song in a Zoom conference call shared on social media
Former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown joined in the singalong to belt out I Left My Heart in San Francisco on Saturday
Members of the San Francisco Fire Department shared video of members crooning the chorus and sharing a salute to frontline workers saving lives in the COVID-19 pandemic
Our heroes: Medical workers with Sutter Health at the CPMC Van Ness hospital shared video joining in the singalong while practicing social distancing
'I mean, I’ve had some weird gigs but playing to an empty Union Square, it’s right up there,' Robinson said on his special performance.
Others gathered in front of a statue of Bennett at the Fairmont Hotel, where he first performed the hit song in 1961.
People across the city recorded themselves belting out the chorus on social media using the #SingOutSF hashtag.
Members of the San Francisco Opera, former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, members of the San Francisco Fire Department, and medics with Sutter Health at the CPMC Van Ness hospital shared videos on social media belting out in the singalong.
'San Francisco has been in my heart for over 50 years,' Bennett said to the San Francisco Chronicle.
'I am so proud and impressed with how the city by the Bay has continued to "bend the curve" during the COVID-19 crisis and serve as an inspiration to the world of how together and alone we can make a difference,' he added.
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Locals gathered and tried to practice social distancing in front of Bennett's statue where Paul Torney, Regional Vice President of Fairmont Hotels, serenaded the crowd with I Left My Heart in San Francisco
We're in this together: People pictured wearing face masks gathered in front of Tony Bennett's statue on Saturday for the singalong
Fairmont San Francisco hotel manager Jacco van Teeffelen wears a mask while standing on a ledge at the hotel during a singing of the Tony Bennett song I Left My Heart in San Francisco
A man wearing a face mask attends a ceremony in front of a statue of singer Tony Bennett to sing the song 'I Left My Heart in San Francisco' on Saturday
Such group singalongs have popped up across the globe as a way for quarantined residents to release tension and sing support for essential workers keeping the country running. The first videos of such singalongs emerged in Italian cities where residents shared a public chorus from their balconies.
San Francisco’s Chief of Protocol Charlotte Maillard Shultz pitched the idea for a citywide singalong last week.
'I thought about those workers and my heart aches for them,' Shultz said. 'I thought, maybe we sing that song and it will be a good morale booster. It will tell them that we will be back. We will conquer this.'
We love first responders: This couple shared a video of themselves singing out the Bay Area anthem while posing with a mannequin dressed as a medical worker, sharing their thanks for healthcare employees fighting on the frontlines of the coronavirus crisis
These ladies waved to the camera as they joined the singalong from the front of their homes
'By taking a moment to join together in song to celebrate our frontline health workers and everyone working to make a difference during this pandemic, we can recognize how connected we are to one another, not just here in San Francisco, but all over the world,' San Francisco's Mayor London Breed said.
San Francisco has over 1,300 reported cases of COVID-19 and 22 deaths so far. The state of California is reeling from over 42,000 cases and nearly 1,700 deaths, as of Sunday.
San Francisco was the first city in the country to go on severe lockdown orders that shuttered all nonessential businesses. Mayor London Breed says she will likely extend the city’s current shelter in place order that’s set to expire on May 3.
Empty Streets: San Francisco was the first city in the US to go on lockdown and has over 1,300 reported cases of COVID-19 and 22 deaths so far. A view of empty cable car tracks down Hyde Street in the deserted Fisherman's Wharf pictured on March 22
A lone pedestrian walks across the street on Saturday in San Francisco where lockdown orders remain in place
Mayor London Breed says she will likely extend the city’s current shelter in place order that’s set to expire on May 3. The eerily empty streets of San Francisco pictured Saturday
'People are asking about this: Will the public health order get extended? The likelihood that that will happen is very likely. And what that means is another few weeks, or even a month, of asking you all to comply and to remain at home and to continue to follow the social distancing orders that we put forth,' she said according to the Los Angeles Times.
California Governor Gavin Newsom hasn't issued a precise end date for the state's lockdown but says he'll wait until California has met six milestones he announce last month. So far, he says the state hasn't even met most of those goals.
Those goals include the ability to closely monitor and track potential cases. prevent infection of high-risk people, prepare hospitals to handle surges, develop therapies to meet demand, ensure schools, businesses and child-care facilities can support social distancing, and develop guidelines for when to ask Californians to stay home again if necessary.
Two northern Bay Area counties – Solando and Fairfield – have already extended their stay at home orders through May 17.
This week it was revealed that coronavirus had two Santa Clara County residents who died in their homes in early to mid-February, well before COVID-19 was first reported to reach the US.
The US previously announced that the first COVID-19 death in the country was a man in his 50s in Kirkland, Washington who passed away on February 28.
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