State officials announced Monday that health care workers and state employees will now be required to get vaccinated against Covid-19, or get tested regularly if they cannot verify their vaccination status.
The requirement, which officials underscored is not a pure vaccination mandate, will take effect Aug. 2 for state employees and Aug. 9 for a broad range of health-care settings and establishments, including outpatient and long-term care centers.
Those who choose to remain unvaccinated or cannot verify their vaccination status will be encouraged to wear a medical-grade face covering and required to test negative for the virus twice a week if they work in a hospital, or once a week if they work in an outpatient care facility like a dentist’s office.
“Too many people have chosen to live with this virus,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday during a briefing in Oakland to announce the new requirements. “We’re at a point in this pandemic where [an] individual’s choice not to get vaccinated is now impacting the rest of us in a profound and devastating and deadly way.”
A group of San Francisco bars will require proof of Covid-19 vaccination or a recent negative test result to be served indoors, the group announced on Monday.
The San Francisco Bar Owner Alliance, a group representing more than 300 local bar owners, announced that starting on Thursday customers who wish to remain inside their bars must show proof of vaccination or a negative Covid-19 test within the last 72 hours.
The SF Bar Owner Alliance said the new rule is in response to the group’s concern about an uptick in Covid-19 cases among its staff members.
“We believe we are obligated to protect our workers and their families and to offer a safe space for customers to relax and socialize,” SF Bar Owner Alliance said in a statement.
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As of Monday, at 5:30pm, officials confirmed the following number of cases around the greater Bay Area region:
- Alameda County: 94,796 cases, 1,272 deaths (Totals include Berkeley Health Department data)
- Contra Costa County: 75,212 cases, 828 deaths
- Marin County: 14,721 cases, 214 deaths (Totals include San Quentin State Prison)
- Monterey County: 44,356 cases, 524 deaths
- Napa County: 10,346 cases, 84 deaths
- San Francisco County: 39,169 cases, 561 deaths
- San Joaquin County: 76,034 cases, 1,446 deaths
- San Mateo County: 43,995 cases, 588 deaths
- Santa Clara County: 121,767 cases, 1,707 deaths
- Santa Cruz County: 16,532 cases, 207 deaths
- Solano County: 35,482 cases, 245 deaths
- Sonoma County: 32,196 cases, 329 deaths
- Statewide: 3,807,971 cases, 63,806 deaths
—Bay City News