Bay Area leaders were first in the nation to take dramatic action aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus.Many thought it was going too far. But in the days and weeks following the shelter-in-place orders here, governors and mayors across the country followed the Bay Area and California’s lead.The Chronicle examined weekly coronavirus case rates, or how many new cases were reported per 100,000 people, for major U.S. metropolitan areas to see how the Bay Area’s curve compares to the rest of the country.These charts suggest that early, aggressive physical distancing restrictions led to...…Bay Area leaders were first in the nation to take dramatic action aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus.Many thought it was going too far. But in the days and weeks following the shelter-in-place orders here, governors and mayors across the country followed the Bay Area and California’s lead.The Chronicle examined weekly coronavirus case rates, or how many new cases were reported per 100,000 people, for major U.S. metropolitan areas to see how the Bay Area’s curve compares to the rest of the country.These charts suggest that early, aggressive physical distancing restrictions led to...WW…