Another step toward COVID vaccine passport? California, San Francisco, San Jose gear up for new mandates
California took another step toward a vaccine passport on Wednesday with a new rule that requires more than a ticket for indoor events of 1,000 people or more: You’ll have to show proof that you are fully vaccinated or have tested negative for COVID-19 within 72 hours to get in the door.
The Golden State’s vaccine verification for concerts, conventions and sporting events, which begins next month, is the first for a state in the U.S., expanding on an earlier state order for events with a minimum of 5,000 people. And it mirrors a growing list of similar vaccine requirements — in public and private workplaces and imposed by individual cities and counties — as the state battles another surge of infections from the highly contagious delta variant.
Also on Wednesday, San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo unveiled a plan to require that all attendees and staff of events of 50 or more people at city-owned facilities — such as the SAP Center, Convention Center and Center for Performing Arts — show proof of full vaccination, with no negative test option allowed.
And come Friday, San Francisco will become the only major U.S. city that won’t let you enter restaurants, museums, gyms or just about anything else you might consider entertainment without proof that you are fully vaccinated. The City by the Bay’s order is the mother of all mandates in what’s become an avalanche of new rules in a shift toward a new social structure:
No shoes, no shirt, no vaccine, no service.
In this politically progressive city where 78% of eligible residents are already fully vaccinated — and fans of the San Francisco Giants and “Hamilton” are already used to presenting their vaccination cards or negative COVID-19 tests — the impending V-Day is just one more thing locals are gearing up for. In the wake of Wednesday’s statewide announcement, their experiences may be a test run for all of us.
“It could be worse — and it’s been worse,” said Henry Morales, who’s been working at Patxi’s Chicago Pizza in the Hayes Valley neighborhood for the past three years, including during months of the pandemic when indoor dining was forbidden. “It’s still better than not having any diners at all.”
The explosion of the delta variant spurred San Francisco Mayor London Breed and Director of Public Health Dr. Grant Colfax to announce the new requirements last week. Only New York City has come close to the mandate, requiring proof of just one dose of vaccine for indoor dining and other activities.
Across San Francisco this week, restaurant and other indoor-venue managers are scrambling to figure out exactly how to comply and enforce the new rules. Do employees have to worry about people presenting forgeries? Will maitre d’s become bouncers? Will tourists have any idea what’s going on?
Mark David, an assistant manager at Absinthe Brasserie & Bar on Hayes Street, said that after months of mask mandates and shifting rules on indoor and outdoor dining, he’s ready for anything.
“We have been going over de-escalation techniques” in case belligerent patrons lash out against the new vaccine rules, he said. “We’ve been using that on mask usage, so we’re prepared on that front.”
Already, the city’s printed fliers are popping up on restaurant windows: “Vaccine & Masks Required Indoors.” Some store managers have decided to enforce the new rules two days before the mandate takes effect.
At Arbor restaurant and wine shop, manager Daniel Torres put up signs on the front counter at lunchtime Wednesday and already turned away one customer — a regular.
“She said she was unvaccinated,” he said. “I told her I can help you outside, but she just said, ‘I don’t know, I’ll come back later.’ ”
The city is encouraging people to retrieve their “Personal Digital COVID-19 Record” from the state of California by plugging in their name, birthday, cell phone number and a four-digit pin number to https://myvaccinerecord.cdph.ca.gov/. You’ll receive a link to a QR code that can be presented as proof of vaccination. People can also show their paper vaccine card or a photo of it.
At Amano restaurant, manager Victoria Matias already retrieved hers and hopes most of her customers will do the same. Whether she or her staff will have any equipment to actually scan the QR code is still uncertain, she said, but she may not need to scan it. Just looking at it might be enough. She will also accept the paper vaccination record or a photo of it.
“We’re happy to be open and take all the necessary steps to be safe,” she said.
Other indoor venues have for months been asking either for proof of vaccine or negative COVID-19 tests. Fans of “Hamilton” couldn’t get into the Orpheum Theater without one or the other since it reopened Aug. 11. That will change Friday, when attendees will need to show proof that they have been fully vaccinated for at least 14 days prior to the show date. Under the city’s rules, proof of a negative COVID test will no longer be an option for those older than 12 but will be required for those 12 and under.
Feinstein’s at the Nikko concert hall has been a vaccination-only destination since it reopened in May — and patrons have had their vaccine cards at the ready.
“At that time, we were one of the first to draw that line in the sand,” said Randy Taradash, the venue’s creative director and general manager. Most patrons have been grateful, he said, “other than one mean tweet on our day of announcing.”
The new rules don’t apply to hair and nail salons, but that hasn’t stopped Lynn Vu, owner of The Muse SF nail spa on Grove Street to impose them herself — indoors or out.
“I’m asking for it from everybody,” Vu said. “It makes it safe for everybody.”
If San Francisco health officials hoped that the mandate might motivate the unvaccinated to finally give in, they might be having some luck.
Wossen Haile, 44, said that while he encouraged his wife and mother to get vaccinated, he’s been too busy to get inoculated himself.
“Look, if there are going to be laws in order for people to go to restaurants, libraries and theaters, then of course I’m going to be vaccinated,” said Haile, who’s been unemployed during the pandemic. “I’m going soon. Trust me.”
Staff writers Maggie Angst, John Woolfolk and Sal Pizarro contributed.
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