The reason reported is that San Francisco has not met state thresholds on two key indicators, case rate and percentage of ICU beds currently available.
COVID-19 RISK CALCULATOR: Quiz yourself on the safest, most dangerous things you can do as CA reopens
Wednesday, Governor Gavin Newsom said the county was close to coming off the watch list.
"It is expected, for the purposes of transparency, we expect if all things being equal, that it's likely as early as tomorrow, though we'll see exactly as the numbers come in, that San Francisco will be added to that list that is not the case today but it looks as if they're in a position, three plus days, to get off of that monitoring list," said the governor.
In order to be removed from the watch list, a county must meet state thresholds on these key indicators for three consecutive days.
In an emailed statement to ABC7 News, the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management writes, "In order to be removed from the state's watch list, we all must work together to decrease the transmission of the virus."
For the public, this means wearing a mask, social distancing, frequent hand washing and staying home when sick.
At the same time, the county is diligently testing, performing robust contact tracing investigations and initiating vaccine trials.
According to the California Department of Public Health website, counties that are removed from the state monitoring list are allowed, if the county approves it, to re-open barbershops, hair and nail salons, and gyms.
If you have a question or comment about the coronavirus pandemic, submit yours via the form below or here.
- COVID-19 Help: Comprehensive list of resources, information
- Watch list: Counties where COVID-19 is getting worse
- MAP: Everything that's open, forced to close in Bay Area
- Everything to know about CA's confusing reopening plan, summer shutdown and what comes next
- From salons to dinner parties: Experts rate the risk of 12 activities
- Coronavirus origin: Where did COVID-19 come from?
- Life after COVID-19: Here's what restaurants, gyms will look like
- What is a COVID-19 genetic, antigen and antibody test?
- What will it take to get a COVID-19 vaccine and how will it be made?
- What does COVID-19 do to your body and why does it spread so easily?
- Here's how shelter in place, stay at home orders can slow spread of COVID-19
- Coronavirus Timeline: Tracking major moments of COVID-19 pandemic in San Francisco Bay Area
- Experts compare face shield vs. face mask effectiveness
- COVID-19 Diaries: Personal stories of Bay Area residents during novel coronavirus pandemic
- Coronavirus Doctor's Note: Dr. Alok Patel gives his insight into COVID-19 pandemic