SF to permit bars to reopen indoors subsequent week with anticipated transfer into yellow tier – The San Francisco Examiner
San Francisco plans to allow bars to reopen indoors for the first time since March 2020 next week, easing restrictions on other activities as it is expected to transition to the state’s least restrictive yellow COVID-19 tier.
The bars could reopen from next Friday with a 25% capacity and a maximum of 100 customers, said Dr. Susan Philip, Acting San Francisco Health Officer, on Thursday. In the past, bars could only be open if they also served meals, if restaurants were allowed to be served inside.
Philip said diners in bars need to be seated at tables rather than walking around “for this first phase of indoor bars”. The food no longer has to be served.
For al fresco dining, The City will remove the mask requirement, but the tables will need to be six feet apart. Those who have been vaccinated are still advised to wear masks when eating outdoors.
The indoor dining capacity remains at 50%, but there is no longer an upper limit for a maximum of 200 people. And there would no longer be a budget limit per table.
In addition, restaurants offer buffets or self-service items such as sushi boats or self-service yoghurt.
Offices could be 50% busy, up from 25% now, but the state continues to recommend that those who can telework continue to do so. Fully vaccinated workers do not count towards the capacity limit.
San Francisco has been hoping to get into the yellow category since early April, but the number of new daily COVID cases has not decreased as expected.
He has an average of 33 new COVID-19 cases every day. In the worst of the pandemic, The City saw a high of 373 new cases every day.
“We have a small and stable number of cases each day,” said Philip. “We are very happy about it.”
Hospital admissions have decreased, with 21 COVID-19 patients being treated in hospitals and 10 in the intensive care unit.
On March 23, San Francisco moved to the orange tier, the second lowest restrictive tier in the state. With the move, The City opened downtown offices with some restrictions, as well as outdoor bars and festivals. In-person participation in the San Francisco Giants games resumed with limited capacity, as was the case with Warriors games at the Chase Center.
Of the state’s 58 counties, 41 are in the orange tier, 13 are in the second most restrictive red tier, and four are in the least restrictive yellow tier. Other counties, including Los Angeles, are expecting them to move to the yellow league next week.
Governor Gavin Newsom previously said he expected to lift all tier restrictions by June 15. However, Philip said that this date “is not a magical shift that will bring us back to normal”.
“We have to move slowly and gradually towards the reopening,” she said.
The concern is that removing restrictions too quickly can, in some cases, lead to a spike.
Vaccinations are found to be effective against the virus. Seventy percent of residents aged 16 and over have received at least one dose of vaccine, approximately 540,190 people. 46 percent received both doses.
Mayor London Breed celebrated the vaccination numbers on Wednesday on Twitter.
“Only 0.7% of our COVID tests are positive,” wrote Breed. “We are nearing the end of this pandemic and will hold the pace until we get there.”
San Francisco has not yet relaxed its requirements for outdoor masks, despite the fact that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention introduced new rules this week that vaccinated people are not required to wear them outdoors unless they are in large crowds.
Philip said The City intends to do so, but is waiting for the California Department of Health to change its own rules as they cannot impose any lesser restrictions than the state. Newsom said Tuesday that “we are working to bring California guidelines into line with these sensible updates.” The new mask rules are expected soon.
jsabatini@sfexaminer.com
Bay Area NewsCoronavirusan Francisco News
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