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Outdoor Dining is Back in San Francisco On Thursday

Starting January 28, Outdoor dining may resume. It is limited to up to 6 people total from up to two households at a table.
By - posted 1/25/2021 No Comment

San Francisco To Reopen Some Activities In Response To State Lifting Regional Stay At Home Order

With the State lifting the Bay Area Regional Stay at Home Order, San Francisco on January 28 will reopen key sectors allowed by the State’s purple tier, with some additional safety precautions given the City’s high case rate

Mayor London N. Breed and Director of Health Dr. Grant Colfax announced that San Francisco will resume some businesses and activities, beginning the morning of Thursday, January 28, after the state announced it would lift mandatory regional restrictions.

The state lifted its Regional Stay at Home Order, in place for the Bay Area since December 17, and assigned San Francisco to the “purple” tier on its Blueprint for a Safer Economy.

Outdoor Dining is Back January 28

Outdoor dining may resume effective 8:00 a.m. on Thursday January 28. It is limited to up to 6 people total from up to two households at a table. Per State requirements, barriers between tables can no longer serve as an alternative to distancing tables 6 feet or more.

Live “HellaSecret” Outdoor Comedy is Back

Part of the reopening is that live entertainment is allowed outdoors starting January 28 except for singing or brass or wind instruments.

The activities that will reopen include outdoor dining with tables of no more than two households, up to six people, and spaced a minimum of 6 feet apart; indoor or outdoor personal services, except those that require a mask to be removed; outdoor zoos and museums; small outdoor gatherings; and expanded capacity on activities that were minimized during the Stay at Home Order. In addition, San Francisco will allow hotels to resume operations for tourism use, but San Francisco will maintain its mandatory local travel quarantine. San Francisco will continue requiring travelers from outside of the Bay Area to quarantine for 10 days, aligning with the State requirement necessitating that hotels only accept and honor reservations made by travelers from outside the Bay Area that are for 10 days or more.

San Francisco will continue the requirement first put in place by the State that limits non-essential businesses from operating or anyone from gathering with members outside of their household between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. People can continue to leave their homes during that time for any other reason. This requirement will remain in effect until San Francisco is assigned to the State’s red tier.

Activities to Resume Thursday, January 28

The following activities may be reopened/allowed to resume:

  • Personal Services. Indoor and outdoor personal services establishments, including hair and nail salons, barbers, tattoo, piercing, and massage services may reopen, but facial coverings are required to be worn at all times. Services that would necessitate the removal of facial coverings are not allowed at this point.
  • Outdoor Dining. Outdoor dining may resume. It is limited to up to 6 people total from up to two households at a table. Per State requirements, barriers between tables can no longer serve as an alternative to distancing tables 6 feet or more. Live entertainment is allowed except for singing or brass or wind instruments.
  • Outdoor Museums and Zoos. Outdoor operations for museums and zoos may resume, though zoos are capped at 50% capacity not including personnel. Concessions are allowed under the guidance of retail or outdoor dining according to the type of concessions.
  • Outdoor Family Entertainment Centers. Family entertainment such as skate parks, batting cages, miniature golf, kart racing, and laser tag or paintball may resume outdoor operations. Roller and ice skating rinks may operate at 25% capacity. Concessions are allowed under the guidance of retail or outdoor dining according to the type of concessions.
  • Open Air Boats and Busses. Open air boats and busses may operate outdoor operations of up to 12 passengers or physically distanced groups of 12, if social distancing can be maintained between groups. Concessions are allowed under the guidance of retail or outdoor dining according to the type of concessions.
  • Small Gatherings. Members of up to 3 households with a maximum of 12 people total may gather outdoors if social distance can be maintained and no food or drink is being consumed. If food or drink is being consumed, only members from two households of up to 6 people total is allowed.
  • Indoor Fitness. 1:1 personal training is allowed to resume indoors with no more than 3 people, including the customer, the trainer and a support staff.
  • Indoor Funerals. Indoor funerals may take place with up to 12 people.

The following activities may expand their operating capacity:

  • Grocery Stores. Standalone grocery stores may operate at 50% customer capacity, not including personnel, up from 35%.
  • Retail. All retail including low-contact retail services such as dog groomers, shoe, electronics and similar repair services may operate at 25% customer capacity, not including personnel, up from 20%. For enclosed shopping malls, any common areas and food courts must remain closed.
  • Hotels and Lodging. Hotels and lodging may accept reservations for tourist use from in-state and out of state guests. Out of Bay Area guests are required to quarantine for 10 days and must make a reservation for 10 days or longer in order to do so. Indoor gyms, meeting rooms, ballrooms and dining must remain closed, though outdoor dining can resume and room service can continue.
  • Outdoor Fitness. Removes the 12-person cap on outdoor fitness so long as social distancing can be met, and increases the fitness class cap to 25.
  • Youth sports. Youth sports without spectators are allowed if it is part of a childcare or out of school time (OST) program or part of an organized and supervised youth sports program. Additionally, low-contact youth sports that are allowed by the state in the purple tier may resume such as dancing, biking, no-contact martial arts, lawn bowling, or bocce ball. Distancing and face coverings must be in place at all times.
  • Outdoor Recreation. Up to three households may engage in recreational activities that allow social distancing, including low-contact sports such as hiking, biking, dancing, and including those that share equipment such as balls and Frisbees.
  • Golf and Tennis. Expands to allow foursomes for golf, but limits to one household per cart and requires staggered tee times. Expands to allow doubles for tennis limited to members of one household per team. Pickleball remains limited to singles per State requirements.
  • Outdoor Religious and Political Gatherings. Removes the 200-person cap to allow religious and political activities to take place unrestricted as long as social distancing can be maintained.

The City will post the revised Health Order with detailed requirements to its webpage on Wednesday, January 27, effective Thursday, January 28 at 8:00 a.m. The reopening of businesses and activities will increase travel and interaction throughout the city, which risks increasing community spread of the virus and an increase in cases and hospitalizations. With new more contagious variants, it is unclear how the virus will respond to more activity. Conversely, as the vaccine is distributed and increasing numbers of people are inoculated against the virus, particularly those who are most vulnerable, San Francisco hopes to gain momentum in reopening the City and beginning its recovery.

Public health officials will regularly assess the Key Public Health Indicators, particularly new positive case counts and hospitalizations to ensure San Francisco has the necessary resources available for those who contract COVID-19. The phasing of additional activities is structured to maximize the City’s ability to track these local health indicators and ensure that San Francisco continues to manage its risk and to protect public health. While San Francisco recognizes and is attempting to align with the State’s thresholds, the City will continue on a reopening path based on its local health indicators and the unique challenges and successes of its local reopening. San Francisco’s reopening updates are available online at SF.gov/reopening.