Key TakeawaysSan Francisco officials are easingmasking requirementsfor people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.The new policy will begin on October 15, and continue as long as COVID case counts remain low.As of early October, 83% of eligible San Franciscoresidents are fully vaccinated.

Key Takeaways

San Francisco officials are easingmasking requirementsfor people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.The new policy will begin on October 15, and continue as long as COVID case counts remain low.As of early October, 83% of eligible San Franciscoresidents are fully vaccinated.

Officials in San Francisco recently announced that they will be easing mask requirements in the city for people who arefully vaccinated against COVID-19. The eased restrictions will remain in effect as long as case counts and hospitalizations rates remain stable or decline.

Starting October 15, masking requirements will be eased for offices, gyms, religious gatherings, indoor college classes, and other settings with up to 100 people who are fully vaccinated against COVID.

People in those settings may remove theirface masksif the employer or host can meet certain criteria, including:

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Prevention Pays Off

Ina press releaseon October 7, San Fransisco Mayor London Breed said that they are “excited” that the city is at a place where they can start easing making requirements.

Breed said that the decision is “the direct result of the fact that we have one of the highest vaccination rates in the country, our cases have fallen, and our residents have done their part to keep themselves and those around them safe.”

Amesh A. Adalja, MDHopefully, more places will follow suit based on the epidemiology of where transmission is occurring.

Amesh A. Adalja, MD

Hopefully, more places will follow suit based on the epidemiology of where transmission is occurring.

Breed said that easing the requirement is an “important step forward for San Francisco, particularly for our downtown.”

When out in the community, Breed said that employees and business leaders often said that “they’re anxious to get back to a more normal routine at work where they can interact with their colleagues.”

With the city’s economy “bouncing back,” Breed said that it “feels like it [the city] is coming alive again,” and easing masking requirements is “yet another milestone in our recovery.”

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Where Masking Will Still Be Required

San Francisco has requiredpeople to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test to enterbars, restaurants, clubs,gyms, and large indoor events since August.

The city’sindoor mask mandatewill remain in effect for some situations, including:

According to government data, 83% of eligible San Franciscans and 75% of the city’s population are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The city currently has a seven-day rolling average of 78 new cases a day.

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What Experts Say

Infectious disease expert Amesh A. Adalja, MD, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, tells Verywell that lifting the requirement in San Fransisco is a “good decision,” and that “hopefully, more places will follow suit based on the epidemiology of where transmission is occurring.”

Adalja says that the main risk of transmitting COVID-19 comes fromunvaccinated people—not people who are fully vaccinated. It’s fairly safe for a group of fully vaccinated people to be indoors together, and Adalja says that it’s “only in rare circumstances that a fully vaccinated person can transmit” the virus.

Richard Watkins, MD,It is naive to assume people will be honest when being dishonest can make things more convenient for them.

Richard Watkins, MD,

It is naive to assume people will be honest when being dishonest can make things more convenient for them.

Richard Watkins, MD, an infectious disease physician and a Professor of Internal Medicine at the Northeast Ohio Medical University, tells Verywell that he is concerned about how the new policy will actually be enforced.

“How is vaccine status going to be ascertained? It is naive to assume people will be honest when being dishonest can make things more convenient for them,” says Watkins.

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While the easing of mask mandates is not widespread yet, other states and cities may take a similar approach if their case counts and hospitalizations start to drop.

“If we see repeated and sustained evidence that the pandemic is waning, then it will be appropriate to follow this path,” says Watkins, adding “I don’t think we have seen enough of a decline in COVID-19 cases to make this change, especially since we know theDelta variantis so highly contagious.”

What This Means For YouIf you live in the San Francisco area and are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, you will soon be able to enter some public spaces without a mask.Other citiesand states may adopt similar policies if their case counts go down and stay low.

What This Means For You

If you live in the San Francisco area and are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, you will soon be able to enter some public spaces without a mask.Other citiesand states may adopt similar policies if their case counts go down and stay low.

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The information in this article is current as of the date listed, which means newer information may be available when you read this. For the most recent updates on COVID-19, visit ourcoronavirus news page.

2 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.City and County of San Francisco.San Francisco to Ease Indoor Mask Requirements for Certain Indoor Settings Where Stable Groups of Fully Vaccinated People Gather.City and County of San Fransisco.COVID-19 cases and deaths.

2 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.City and County of San Francisco.San Francisco to Ease Indoor Mask Requirements for Certain Indoor Settings Where Stable Groups of Fully Vaccinated People Gather.City and County of San Fransisco.COVID-19 cases and deaths.

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

City and County of San Francisco.San Francisco to Ease Indoor Mask Requirements for Certain Indoor Settings Where Stable Groups of Fully Vaccinated People Gather.City and County of San Fransisco.COVID-19 cases and deaths.

City and County of San Francisco.San Francisco to Ease Indoor Mask Requirements for Certain Indoor Settings Where Stable Groups of Fully Vaccinated People Gather.

City and County of San Fransisco.COVID-19 cases and deaths.

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