Mayor London Breed has announced the next phase of reopenings in San Francisco — and many businesses are being allowed to return sooner than expected.
Hair salons, nail salons, barbershops, tattoo studios, zoos and museums will all be allowed to resume business next Monday, June 29, as will outdoor swimming pools and bars serving drinks outdoors. Previously, hair salons were set for a July 13 reopening, with the other businesses not returning until mid-August.
The sped-up reopenings are based on the city's COVID-19 health indicators, which show that hospitalizations are still low and supplies of personal protective equipment are in good shape. As of Monday, 3,185 people in San Francisco had tested positive for the virus, while 48 lost their lives.
Breed credited San Franciscans' adherence to the use of face coverings and social distancing, and said those efforts would remain critical as more businesses reopen.
"We expect COVID-19 cases to increase as we reopen," said Dr. Grant Colfax, director of the SF Department of Public Health. "To keep that increase manageable and sustain our commitment to protecting the people most vulnerable to the virus, everyone in San Francisco must continue to take the precautions that save lives."
Not every business originally set to reopen in July or mid-August got a reprieve today. Gyms and fitness centers, playgrounds, movie theaters, basketball courts and indoor tennis courts are still set for the mid-August timeline. For the time being, bars will also have to wait until August to serve customers indoors.
The June 29 timeline is also dependent on a variance request the Department of Public Health has submitted to the state of California, which would allow businesses to open up ahead of the state’s current timeline. City officials are still waiting for its approval, which is contingent on case counts remaining reasonable.
"Moving forward with opening personal services is especially important because unlike other types of businesses, nail salons, barbershops and aestheticians haven't been able to continue through online sales or offer services at curbside," said assessor Carmen Chu, co-chair of the Economic Recovery Task Force, in a statement.
