San Francisco could advance to the less restrictive red tier of reopening as soon as next week.
That would allow restaurants to once again host diners inside at limited capacity and reopen other indoor businesses like gyms, museums, pools and even movie theaters.
“More and more people are getting vaccinated every day, and I'm proud of the work that all of our residents have done to slow the spread,” said Mayor London Breed.
But city officials are also making it clear that at this point in the pandemic, they expect everyone to know and follow the rules.
When business shutdowns first started, the city mainly focused on reinforcing the rules by educating residents and businesses.
“This was in recognition of the fact that complying with the changing health orders was very new to our business community and there was going to be a certain level of confusion,” said Patrick Fosdahl with the Department of Public Health.
That means officials were mainly just issuing warnings to rule breakers.
But now as the city prepares to reopen many categories of business once again, “the business community is much more aware of the compliance standards contained in the health orders,” said Fosdahl. “So as we reopen we’ll be pivoting to a more traditional enforcement-first approach.”
Which could bring enforcement measures like penalties, fines and even forced closures for businesses that violate safety procedures and capacity limits.
San Francisco Deputy Health Officer Dr. Susan Philip said this is a crucial time.
“We’re right at a tipping point where if we let our guard down as we are coming together, we run the risk of having cases go back up.”
And another rise in cases could mean shutting down once again, something San Franciscans have already experienced several times.
“Getting to the red tier is not the end, it’s the beginning,” said Breed. “Because looking ahead is the orange tier and eventually the yellow tier and more opportunities to safely open our city. But I cannot emphasize enough, that the only way we get there is through working together to keep the virus from surging again.”
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