SAN FRANCISCO — City officials have announced a new round of business and educational reopening set to begin next week and continue through the fall, according to an announcement Thursday.
This latest round, due to begin Monday, allows gyms and fitness centers, massage services, hair and nail salons and barber shops to serve a limited number of customers indoors, so long as all involved wear face coverings. The closures were ordered as part of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic earlier this year.
These businesses will join hotels and outdoor sites, including tour buses and boats, drive-in movie sites and family entertainment centers, in welcoming customers under outdoor-gathering rules.
Museums and galleries who submit reopening plans to the city’s health department may begin reopening the week of Sept. 21, officials said. All forward progress will continue to depend on city residents’ compliance with rules and continuing success against the COVID-19 pandemic as tracked through public-health indicators, officials took pains to stress Thursday.
San Francisco Announces Next Phase of Reopening to Begin on Monday – https://t.co/IiDIQyC7JC
— Mayor London Breed's Press Office (@MyrPressOffice) September 10, 2020
“I’m so glad we can move forward earlier than expected to reopen more businesses that have been closed since March,” San Francisco Mayor London Breed said in a statement.
“These businesses have been struggling, and starting Monday, they’ll finally be able to serve customers again, with the necessary safety precautions and modifications in place,” she added in part.
“It’s on all of us to keep doing our part so that we can get more businesses reopened, get our kids back in school, and keep making progress on our economic recovery.”
City officials said community hubs will open Monday to help school-district distance-learning plans, with in-class learning for the district’s youngest participants resuming the week of Sept. 21 on a rolling basis at campuses with submitted and approved safety plans.
Separate efforts, including child-care facilities and after-school programs, have already begun in limited fashion, officials said.
“We will continue our gradual reopening as it allows us to monitor the spread, manage its immediate challenges and mitigate the long-term impact on our city,” health department director Dr. Grant Colfax said in part Thursday.
“Our reopening pace continues to be informed by our ability to manage the risk of more activity that may result in more cases and hospitalizations. Our success is contingent on everyone doing their part, including wearing face coverings, social distancing, and avoid large gatherings.”
Contact George Kelly at 408-859-5180.
