Bay Area to ease mask rules
Officials to adjust indoor mandates as COVID-19 cases drop
SAN FRANCISCO — Indoor masking requirements in the San Francisco Bay Area will be eased for certain indoor public settings, including offices, gyms, college classrooms and churches, after counties reach low COVID-19 case and hospitalization rates and at least 80 percent of the total population is fully vaccinated, officials announced Thursday.
The Bay Area, with among the highest vaccination rates and lowest case rates in the nation, has been cautious throughout the pandemic, when counties in the region issued the nation’s first stay-home order in March 2020.
After lifting some restrictions in the spring, public health officials in San Francisco, Marin, Napa, Sonoma, Contra Costa, Alameda, Santa Clara and San Mateo reinstated an indoor mask mandate in August as COVID-19 infections surged.
Cases have declined since then, and officials have agreed to start lifting mask mandates in some public spaces. It will be up to each county to determine its own mask rules.
Such a change is likely weeks away in most areas, but San Francisco will start easing the rules next week.
“Indoor masking has helped to lower case counts, hospitalizations and COVID-19 deaths, so we don’t want to remove this important layer of COVID prevention too hastily,” Santa Clara Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody said.
“I want to make it very clear, we are not there yet, and based on the criteria it will probably take a few more weeks before we can enter a store or restaurant without a mask,” Contra Costa County Supervisor Diane Burgis said.
In San Francisco, where 75 percent of the entire population is fully vaccinated, patrons of a range of businesses are required to show proof of full vaccination, including offices, gyms and college classrooms. Mayor London Breed’s office said Thursday that mask requirements will be eased Oct. 15 for those and other settings with fewer than 100 people if everyone can prove they are vaccinated, the place is well ventilated and no children under 12 are present.
Patrons at San Francisco bars and restaurants must still wear a mask inside, regardless of vaccination status, unless they are eating or drinking, Breed said.
Indoor masking will continue to be required at retail stores and other shared indoor places such as common areas like elevators, lobbies and restrooms, where people from different workplace settings could interact.
“This is an important step forward for San Francisco, particularly for our downtown, because when I talk to office workers and business leaders, one of the things I continue to hear is that they’re anxious to get back to a more normal routine at work where they can interact with their colleagues,” Breed said in a statement.