San Franciscans rejoice as state finally lifts COVID restrictions

SAN FRANCISCO - June 15th finally arrived with California lifting most COVID restrictions across the state.

San Francisco city leaders said they are eager to get the city back rolling after a 15-month shutdown.

Like the rest of the state, San Franciscans celebrated the end of shelter-in-place orders.

At Oracle Park fans turned out to watch the first-place Giants take on the Diamondbacks.

"I'm starting to see a little bit of a difference," said John Davis from Riverside. "There's more people out on the streets enjoying themselves. You know, with this beautiful weather, who can resist?"

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Across the street from the ballpark, Momo's was packed with customers hours before the first pitch, as the restaurant capacity limits lifted.

"Things are absolutely looking up," said Owner Scott Morton. "One hundred percent capacity is fantastic."

Morton said even though his staff is still complying with workplace rules about masks, customers can go mask-free as long as they're vaccinated.

"The biggest change that we're seeing today is just peace of mind," said Morton. "People know that it's OK to go back out to restaurants. I mean not just outside, being inside. We don't feel like we're having to police too much because we know that people have gotten vaccinated."

San Francisco Mayor London Breed said she's already seeing a major shift in attitudes.

"When we talked about being out of the woods during this pandemic, well, we're out of the woods right now, and it feels good," she said.

Masks are still required on public transit, in schools, health care settings, jails, and many workplaces.

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San Francisco's Health Director Dr. Grant Colfax says masks are also still required for unvaccinated individuals going to indoor public settings. But for those who are vaccinated, they can get used to not wearing their mask as soon as they feel comfortable.

"If you've been vaccinated and you still need some time, and you still want to wear a mask inside or outside I think that's fine," said Colfax. "But I think we can't underestimate the importance of getting vaccinated. That's our ticket out."

One more piece of good news, the city announced the iconic cable cars will be up and running in August, and best of all, they will be free as they get back to running and back up to speed.