SF Bans All Events Over 100 People

San Francisco Issues Moratorium On Gatherings Of 100 Or More To Slow Spread Of Covid-19

The City and County of San Francisco has issued a Public Health Order prohibiting gatherings of 100 or more persons

Mayor London N. Breed  announced on 3/13 at 3:44pm that the Health Officer of the City and County of San Francisco has issued a Public Health Order prohibiting all non-essential events of 100 or more persons. This measure is necessary to slow the spread of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in the community. The Order is effective immediately.

UPDATE – This order is effective as of 5:00pm on Friday, March 13 and continues until 11:59pm on Thursday, April 30, 2020.

The San Francisco Department of Public Health (DPH) previously recommended cancelling or postponing events of 250 or more. In addition to prohibiting events with 100 people or more, DPH recommends that organizations that serve vulnerable populations cancel gatherings of more than 10 people.

“This new Order is an important measure to support public health,” said Mayor Breed. “We need everyone to follow the recommendations of public health officials to slow the spread of COVID‑19 in our community. This order mirrors actions being taken by other local governments and the state, and is informed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. We know cancelling events and gatherings is a challenge for everyone, but it is essential that we take this step.”

Exceptions to the Ban on 100+ Events: The Order applies to events with 100 people or more but does not apply to: essential government services, transit, office space, hotels, residential buildings, grocery stores, shopping malls, retail establishments, hospitals, medical facilities, community serving organizations like food banks, and other facilities as detailed in the Order.

Large Restaurants Must Cut Capacity By At Least 50% To allow for appropriate social distancing, restaurants that have a capacity of between 100 and 500 people are allowed to continue operating as long as they reduce their occupancy in half up to a maximum of 100 patrons. For example, a restaurant that has an occupancy of 150 is allowed to operate if it reduces its occupancy in half to 75.

“Today’s action builds on our recommendations last week for social distancing, and makes it easier for people to know exactly how they can help reduce the spread of the virus. Because the virus needs people to spread, by reducing the times and places where large groups of people come together, we can effectively slow it down,” said Dr. Grant Colfax, Director of Health.

“We hope that this order will encourage people to skip social gatherings for the time being, and promote telecommuting and social distancing. Together, we can fight the spread of coronavirus, reduce harm to our community, and protect the most vulnerable people.”