San Francisco Mayor London Breed announced Tuesday that the city is hitting the brakes on its next planned phase of reopening, which would have allowed indoor restaurant dining and outdoor bar service to resume on July 13.
“This is not a decision that we are approaching lightly,” Breed said during a media briefing. “We know that in order to protect public health, we are creating other challenges for small businesses.”
Laurie Thomas, executive director of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association, responded in a statement, "Although this is clearly both a disappointment and a financial blow for our industry, our biggest concerns remain with the health of our workers, patrons and residents of the state."
Like many other regions across California, the rate of new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in San Francisco has noticeably increased in recent weeks, although not as sharply as in some neighboring counties. Last week, there were 6.1 new cases per 100,000 residents in the city, a rate well above the desired goal of 1.8 cases per 100,000, according to Dr. Grant Colfax, director of the San Francisco Department of Public Health.
COVID-19-related hospitalizations also rose in the past week by 25%, far surpassing the 10% rate of increase the city is aiming for.