London Breed critiques San Francisco’s masks mandate, ‘enjoyable police’ after nightclub journey

San Francisco Mayor London Breed was caught in clear violation of her city’s strict indoor mask mandate during a visit to the Black Cat in the Tenderloin last Thursday, and once again defended her actions when speaking to reporters Friday.

As currently written, the city’s health order — which applies to vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals alike — only allows for masks to be removed “while actively eating or drinking.” It states, “People are urged to be seated at a table or positioned at a stationary counter or place while eating or drinking.”

A video shows a maskless breed — neither seated at a table nor positioned at a stationary counter — standing and dancing at the nightclub without any food or drinks in her hand. She also posed for photos while not wearing a mask and defended her actions by stating, “At the end of the day, everyone who comes in here has to show proof of vaccination. That gives me a lot of reassurance.”

The city’s mask mandate does not contain an exemption for businesses requiring proof of vaccination for entry, and the San Francisco Department of Public Health has offered no timeline for when the mask mandate may be softened, even as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in the city rapid decline.

When Breed was asked by reporters about the breach on Friday, she once again used the vaccination defense. “It’s sad that this is even a story,” she said.

San Francisco mayor defends not wearing a mask while partying, says she “got up and started dancing because I was feeling the spirit and I wasn’t thinking about a mask.” pic.twitter.com/WDzLiBN5JZ

— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) September 20, 2021

“From my perspective, I was there, I was eating and I was drinking, and I was sitting with my friends and everyone who came in there was vaccinated,” Breed said. “So the fact that we have turned this into a story about being maskless, No: I’m not going to sip and put my mask on, sip and put my mask on, sip and put mask on, eat and put my mask on And yes, while we’re drinking, like everyone else there, we were all having a good time and again, all vaccinated.”

To be clear: This is a story because Breed’s views run contrary to the city’s mask mandate as written, which requires all individuals — vaccinated or not — to only remove masks indoors while “actively eating or drinking.”

She went on to say that asking individuals to wear masks in between sips and bites is “not realistic,” and once again cited vaccination when explaining why she did not wear a mask when taking pictures with people inside the nightclub.

“When I took a picture, as I do in any case or do an interview, yes I take my mask off when I take a picture,” she said. “I’m vaccinated. I don’t need to wear a mask to take a picture every single time. I don’t want to.”

The city’s mask mandate as currently written would not allow masks to be removed while taking a picture indoors, regardless of whether a person is vaccinated or if they “don’t want to.” The mayor’s office has not responded to multiple SFGATE requests for comment on whether Breed is calling on city health officials to soften the mandate.

“The message I want to get out is: Support our nightlife venues, support our restaurants, go out and enjoy yourself,” she said. “Make sure you are vaccinated because of the requirements, but don’t feel as though you have to be micro-managed about mask wearing. We don’t need the fun police to come in and tell us what we should or shouldn’t be doing. We know what we need to do to protect ourselves.”

SFGATE also reached out to the San Francisco Department of Public Health and asked whether any future changes to the mask mandate are on the horizon.

“Our intent is to encourage people to do their best understanding that every circumstance is unique,” the department said in a statement. “We are focused first on providing information on how people can best protect themselves and others and are continuing to work with patrons and businesses to comply with the guidelines. We will make adjustments as needed based on science and data, and maintain a regional approach on COVID-19 mitigation strategies, when possible.”