No shirt, no shoes, no vaccine? No service.
Starting Friday, people who are not fully vaccinated could be denied entry into a variety of businesses in San Francisco as the city’s proof of COVID vaccination mandate goes into effect.
Businesses include restaurants, bars, and gyms.
“Everyone’s been pretty good about it,” said an employee at a Fitness SF location in the Financial District. “They understand the reasoning for it too, just in terms of health and safety for everybody.”
San Francisco Mayor London Breed and Director of Public Health Dr. Grant Colfax announced the plans for the proof of vaccination mandate a week ago.
According to a press release issued by the city, the order will require businesses in certain high-contact indoor sectors — including those that serve food or drink like bars, restaurants, clubs, theaters and entertainment venues, as well as indoor gyms and other fitness establishments — to obtain proof of vaccination from their patrons and employees in order for them to go inside those facilities.
The vaccination requirement will not apply to individuals ordering or picking up food or drink to go, officials said.
According to the order, those businesses must use their best efforts to ascertain the vaccination status of their employees by that same date. To preserve jobs while giving time for compliance, the proof of vaccination requirement for staff goes into effect October 13 for employees.
Friday is also the deadline for San Francisco city employees to provide proof of vaccination. “For those who haven’t reported, we plan to continue to do more outreach to get that information,” said Mayor London Breed. “But ultimately our mandate stands and we’re going to do everything we can to get people to that page.”
The city is preparing to suspend some 40 employees in the fire, police and sheriff’s departments who are refusing to disclose their vaccination status.
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