March 17, 2021
On March 3, 2021, San Francisco entered the red tier of reopening guidelines in correspondence with declining testing positivity and hospitalization rates in the county. This red tier includes reduced capacity operations of gyms, museums and indoor dining among other indoor and outdoor activities.
Reopening of indoor dining looks different than when the city entered the red tier in the late fall of 2020 – there is now a transmission rate of only 0.93% among San Francisco residents, according to Mayor London Breed. Another indicator of San Francisco’s progress on decreasing transmission is that one in four San Franciscans has been vaccinated.
Indoor dining at 25% capacity has been operating for the past week and so far, positivity rates of testing are still on a decline on average of 43% in the past two weeks as reported by the New York Times Coronavirus data tracker. This could indicate a more positive outlook for the late spring and summer in San Francisco not only for the entertainment and hospitality economy, but for residents as well.
According to Breed, San Francisco is on track to be in the orange tier by March 24. At that point, restaurants will be allowed to operate indoors at 50% capacity and gyms at 25%. Breweries and outdoor sporting venues will also be reopened in the orange tier at 25% and 20% respectively. According to the San Francisco Office of Employment and Workforce Development, a webinar will take place on Thursday to inform employers and employees alike about what they can expect when the orange tier regulations begin.
