San Francisco becomes first city to require proof of FULL vaccination for indoor activities after New York City and LA put in place mandates for at least one shot for gyms, bars and restaurants
San Francisco announced Thursday it will become the first major U.S. city to enforce proof of full vaccination for entry to restaurants, gyms and other indoor venues, as it aims to curb a new wave of COVID infections.
San Francisco, which launches its mandate on August 20, is the third major city to pass a sweeping vaccine requirement for indoor businesses behind New York and Los Angeles, which only require proof of one vaccination dose.
'Vaccines are our way out of the pandemic, and our way back to a life where we can be together safely,' San Francisco Mayor London Breed said in a statement Thursday.
The new vaccine mandate for indoor businesses extends to employees as well as patrons.
Employees of restaurants, gyms and other venues have until October 13 to show proof of full vaccination, the order says. Proof of vaccination will also be required for attendees at indoor events of 1,000 people or more.
San Francisco announced Thursday it will become the first major U.S. city to enforce proof of full vaccination for entry to restaurants, gyms and other indoor venues
San Francisco's ordinance is aimed at curbing a new wave of COVID infections that has prompted public health mandates across the country
In a unanimous 13-to-0 vote Wednesday, the Los Angeles City Council took a step toward mandating residents show proof that they have had at least one Covid-19 dose before entering indoor locations and businesses in the nation's second largest city.
The council called for the ordinance to cover places such as restaurants, bars, gyms concert venue and movie theaters - and also includes 'retail establishments', meaning customers would need a shot in order to go shopping.
That would make it more restrictive than the policy announced by New York City last week, which only covers more entertainment-focused venues such as restaurants, gyms and theaters, Deadline reported.
The vaccine requirement in the three liberal cities comes as schools in some conservative states struggle to mandate masks, going against their Republican governors' orders.
'Vaccines are our way out of the pandemic, and our way back to a life where we can be together safely,' Mayor London Breed said in a statement Thursday
San Francisco, which launches its mandate on Aug. 20, is the third major city to pass a sweeping vaccine requirement for indoor businesses after New York and Los Angeles, which only requires proof of one vaccination dose
The board of Houston's public schools was expected to vote on Thursday to defy a state ban on mask mandates, joining other districts in Texas and Florida requiring face coverings in classrooms to fight a surge of COVID-19 infections despite threats from state leadership.
The measure is likely to pass, with a majority of board members expressing support for requiring masks in schools, the Houston Chronicle reported.
As the start of the academic year coincides with a dire new wave of COVID-19 cases, schools have quickly become the focal point of the nation's political fight over masking and vaccine mandates.
Florida has threatened to withhold the salaries of school officials who require masks, a move that has escalated tension between Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican, and the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden, a Democrat.
The White House is considering reimbursing Florida school officials if DeSantis, who is widely seen as weighing a potential 2024 challenge for the presidency, follows through on his threat.
The Delta variant appears to be flattening the pace of the U.S. economic recovery after a big upswing in the first half of 2021, according to Oxford Economics U.S. Recovery Tracker.
LA joins New York City where Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Tuesday that customers and workers will have to show proof that they've had at least one dose of a vaccine
'Sharply deteriorating health conditions are the main reason why the South´s recovery is now losing momentum,' Oxford's lead U.S. economist Oren Klachkin said.
'And the rapid uptick in Covid cases in the region is causing activity to moderate and mobility and employment to stagnate.'
The worst of the U.S. COVID outbreak is concentrated in the South, including Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, where intensive care units have been stretched to capacity.
While flouting federal recommendations on masks, Florida has asked Washington to help by sending ventilators.
The measures in California come amid a nationwide trend of increasing infections. New U.S. cases have increased more than five-fold over the past month with the seven-day average hitting 113,357 on Thursday
The number of daily cases across the country has doubled in the last two weeks, according to a Reuters tally, reaching a six-month peak, while the average number of daily deaths has increased 85% in the last 14 days.
'Our frontline health care heroes are finding themselves stretched thin and physical and mental exhaustion is taking its toll,' Florida Hospital Association President Mary Mayhew said in a statement on Tuesday, adding that people in their 20s and 30s were being hospitalized with the virus.
Leaders in Democrat-led states and cities have moved swiftly to impose COVID-19 mask and vaccine requirements in the face of the Delta variant.
Meanwhile, California, Illinois, Kentucky and New Jersey, all led by Democratic governors, have required masks in all schools.
On Thursday, the National Education Association President Becky Pringle, who leads the largest teachers' union in the country, said she supported vaccine mandates for teachers.
Her statement came on the heels of a similar announcement from the American Federation of Teachers' president earlier this week.