SAN FRANCISCO - Word broke Thursday that San Francisco health officials were allowing gyms, barbershops, hair and nail salons as well as massage services to operate indoors, but with limits starting Monday, September 14.
The announcement regarding the COVID-19 restriction update was made by Mayor London Breed along with the city's top health official, Dr. Grant Colfax and the Economic Recovery Task Force.
“I’m so glad we can move forward earlier than expected to reopen more businesses that have been closed since March. These businesses have been struggling, and starting Monday, they’ll finally be able to serve customers again, with the necessary safety precautions and modifications in place,” said Mayor Breed.
Breed reminded city residents to stay the course and to follow local health officials' guidelines in order to get on track back to normalcy, including having children back in school for in-person education and to help the devastated economy by adhering to measures in the meantime.
According to the next phase of reopening order, "only those services where face coverings can be worn at all times by everyone involved will reopen at this time."
Thursday's update also included information that indoor museums and galleries are allowed to submit health and safety plans to the city's health department during the week of September 14 and pending approval could be able to open as early as September 21.
In addition, community hubs to assist students who are distance learning will open on Monday September 14. This is lead up to a goal of in-person learning that will be unveiled on a roll-out basis.
City officials said they anticipate in-classroom learning with limited capacity for TK-6th grade will begin to resume September 21 for schools that have submitted a safety plan and have received approval.
“Given our local trend in COVID indicators, low-risk, limited capacity indoor activities may resume,” said Dr. Colfax. “We will continue our gradual reopening as it allows us to monitor the spread, manage its immediate challenges and mitigate the long-term impact on our city. Our reopening pace continue to be informed by our ability to manage the risk of more activity that
may result in more cases and hospitalizations. Our success is contingent on everyone doing their part, including wearing face coverings, social distancing, and avoid large gatherings.”
Carmen Chu, co-chair of the Economic Recovery Task Force, said Thursday's announcement "makes it possible for businesses to begin to rebuild.”
San Francisco surpassed 10,000 novel coronavirus cases this week. As of Thursday the city is at 10,120 cases and 88 deaths, up one from the day before.
San Francisco's reopening plan.
San Francisco’s Path Forward to Reopening
Monday, September 14 – Low Risk Outdoor and Indoor Activities
• Indoor personal services, such as hair salons, barber shops, nail salons, massage services,
tattoo and piercing, with limited capacity
• Indoor gyms, including one-on-one personal training, at limited capacity
• Hotels and other lodging, including short-term rentals
• Places of worship and political activities (one person at a time indoors for individual
prayer or campaign office use; up to 50 people outdoors)
• Outdoor tour buses and open-air boats, with limited capacity
• Drive-in movies, with limited capacity
• Outdoor family entertainment, such as mini-golf, batting cages, and go-carts, with limited
capacity, (but not amusement park rides and playgrounds at this time)
September 21 – Indoor Museums, Zoos, and Aquariums and TK-6th grade in-person
learning
• Indoor museums, zoos, and aquariums at a limited capacity and with a submitted health
and safety plan
• In-classroom learning: TK-6th grade on rolling basis with approved health and safety plan
GOAL: End of September, Low Risk Indoor Activities
• Places of worship, with limited capacity (25% of capacity indoors, up to 25 people; up to
50 people outdoors)
GOAL: October, Middle School in-person learning
• Middle schools, in-person learning, on rolling basis with an approved health and safety
plan
GOAL: November, High Schools, additional learning activities
• High schools, in-person learning, on rolling basis with an approved health and safety plan