SAN FRANCISCO—On October 30, San Francisco Mayor London Breed announced that the city will temporarily pause most of its reopening plans set for November after an increase in Covid-19 cases has been reported across the country.
The previous plans were set to go into effect on November 3rd, and would have allowed restaurants to open indoor dining at 50% capacity, and allow more non-essential businesses to reopen.
According to the announcements, businesses, attractions and activities that are currently allowed to open may continue to do so, and schools currently approved for in-person teaching may resume their on-campus activities as planned. This means that restaurants are still allowed to serve takeout and offer outdoor dining, and various non-essential businesses such as retail stores will still be allowed to operate as normal as long as they follow proper social-distancing guidelines.
“It is better for San Francisco to take the time to pause now and assess the data than to keep reopening and risk needing to roll-back reopening at a future date. With this pause, our public health experts can evaluate our cases and hospitalizations so that we can work to stay ahead of this virus and keep our community safe,” Mayor Breed explained in the public statement.
“It is crucial that our community adhere to the San Francisco Department of Public Health guidance in order to reduce transmission; including mask wearing while dining when any staff members approach, social distancing, contact tracing, and implement increased ventilation processes,” said Laurie Thomas, executive director of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association (GGRA).
Despite the roll-back of reopening plans, San Francisco has the lowest Covid-19 death-rate of any city in the US, and currently has the second-lowest case rate of any US city as of October 30.
