The city updated the COVID-19 restrictions saying, "As of December 10, the health order was updated. You can meet with 1 other person who doesn't live with you. You both can:
- Take a walk
Wear a mask and stay 6 feet away from others when you leave your home."
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San Francisco Supervisor Matt Haney tweeted, "This is a change."
The tighter COVID-19 restrictions that started on Dec. 6 first advised all residents to not gather with anyone outside their household.
Haney tweeted in a thread saying, "The original order was obviously ridiculous, unrealistic, extreme, so much so people wouldn't understand or follow it. The new version is still overly restrictive imo. The public health orders have to be connected to reality or they will increasingly be ignored completely."
The other five Bay Area counties that joined the early stay-at-home order have not adopted the same update.
RELATED: CA stay-at-home order: San Mateo health officials defend decision to not shut down just yet
In San Mateo County, officials made the decision to not follow the stricter rules yet. One of the reasons was because they thought not having any social support system outside the household is "detrimental," San Mateo Deputy Health Officer Dr. Curtis Chan told ABC7 News last week.
"We were concerned that also messaging towards saying that you shouldn't have any contact with any social support system, you know, anybody outside of the household, having those types of messages we thought for our community, will be actually detrimental," Chan said.
MORE: San Francisco health director projects as many as 1,500 more deaths if COVID-19 surge continues
San Francisco's current stay-at-home order is being enforced through Jan. 4, 2021 amid a dangerous surge of new cases and decreasing ICU capacity. San Francisco's Health Director Dr. Grant Colfax on Wednesday warned that San Francisco will run out of ICU beds by Dec. 27, if things don't get better.
"To be blunt, we have one chance to turn this serious surge around and that chance is right now. But our window is narrowing and closing fast," said Colfax. "San Francisco, let's seize this moment, let's seize the day and turn this virus back. As you know, we are in the middle of a massive surge in San Francisco of COVID-19 cases. By far the worst surge to date. And I want to stress the significant impact that this surge will have on you, your neighbors and friends and family and future generations if we do not bend the trajectory of this surge right now."
ABC7 News reached out to the city's COVID Command Center for a reason on the update. They said in part:
"The December 10, 2020 changes were made primarily to address and clarify the best practices in San Francisco. The update allows, among other things, up to two individuals from different households to spend time together outdoors, masked, and physically distanced and in certain outdoor recreation activities with safety protocols in place. This change was made to balance the risk of negative impacts on mental health for those in complete isolation of others and the risk of transmission between two masked, distanced individuals who are outdoors. Although it is safer not to have any interactions outside the household, people living alone especially need an outlet to maintain their well-being during the current surge. If infection rates start going down, then we may be able to further loosen restrictions on outdoor gatherings."
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