SAN FRANCISCO—As the city of San Francisco moves into the final stage of reopening, bars that only offer drinks will be allowed to open in November as part of the new plan, state officials announced on October 20. The city is moving from the “orange stage” of California’s color-coded reopening plan into the “yellow phase”, which is the final phase with the least restrictions. As part of the improved plan, on November 3 restaurants in San Francisco will be allowed to operate indoor dining at 50% capacity, and bars that only serve drinks are planned to reopen outdoors in mid-November.
However, the new reopening plan still comes with certain restrictions. According to the new reopening plan released by San Francisco city health officials, indoor dining establishments will have a ban on indoor TV’s, and a 12:30 a.m. shutdown time. Bars without food can only serve drinks outside, and indoor drinking still will not be allowed.
“Every step of the way we’ve made decisions through the lens of public health, and we will continue to do so going forward. We know new cases of COVID are rising in other parts of the country, so we cannot relax. We must remain vigilant. But I have faith in the people of San Francisco and in our approach to this virus,” Mayor London Breed said in a press release following the release of the new guidelines.
The new reopening plan is dependent on the city maintaining low cases, hospitalizations and transmission rates. In a public statement, Laurie Thomas, executive director of the Golden Gate Restaraunt Association said: “Although this is very good news, we want to emphasize that this movement toward further reopening can only continue if our community continues to adhere to the guidance given by the city and state to reduce transmission, including masks wearing while dining when any staff members approach, social distancing, contact tracing, and implementing increase ventilation processes.”
