San Francisco might comply with New York Metropolis’s vaccine mandate. Here is what which means for you.
After New York City announced a nation’s first COVID-19 vaccination mandate that would require indoor businesses like restaurants, bars, and gyms to review customers’s vaccination status, San Francisco officials said they could potentially implement a similar policy.
“We’re investigating this,” said Dr. Grant Colfax, San Francisco Health Director, at a news conference Tuesday.
The last time city officials said they were considering a directive (inner masks for vaccinated people) it was enacted just days later. Supervisor Matt Haney told KGO (ABC7) that an indoor vaccine mandate “could happen this week”.
However, with many San Francisco restaurants and bars already requiring proof of vaccination for entry, the city might decide it doesn’t need to go beyond simple encouragement, Colfax said.
If San Francisco wants to go further, the New York Order, entitled “Key to NYC Pass,” goes beyond bars and restaurants and includes enforcement mechanisms. The policy requires all restaurants, bars, gyms, and indoor entertainment venues (such as movie theaters) to screen their guests for proof of vaccination or be fined.
The policy goes into effect on August 16, and the city plans to begin enforcement on September 13. Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city is still finalizing the details of the plan, including whether to expand the order to indoor shopping and how to treat children under 12 who are not eligible for the vaccine .
New Yorkers – or those visiting New York City – can show their Centers for Disease Control and Prevention vaccination cards, New York State electronic “Excelsior Pass,” or a new city-specific digital tool. If San Francisco copies the policy, the state of California will offer digital vaccination cards, although the introduction has been bumpy.
Mayor London Breed previously stated that the city is working with its lawyers to look into the legal feasibility of a full vaccine mandate.
While San Francisco ponders New York politics, the mayor of another heavily vaccinated city in a heavily democratic state explained why she wouldn’t consider a similar system. The incumbent Mayor of Boston Kim Janey pointed to potential issues with justice, compared a possible vaccine passport to slave papers, and asked Barack Obama to reveal his birth certificate to explain why her city would not consider it.
“There is a long history of people in this country having to show their papers,” she said. “During slavery, after slavery, as young as you know what the immigrants are going through here. We heard Trump with the birth certificate nonsense. Boston residents or disproportionately affect the Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) communities. “
Black people are among the least vaccinated groups in San Francisco, New York, and Boston. In San Francisco, for a variety of reasons, including suspicion of the government and medical community over past abuses, the city has increased its outreach to black residents who are reluctant to get vaccinations.
