San Francisco pauses reopening after city sees 103 new COVID-19 cases in 1 day
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- San Francisco is delaying the reopening of certain businesses because of concerns over a spike in COVID-19 cases, the mayor announced Friday.
The city saw a surge of 103 new COVID-19 cases in just 24 hours. Public Health Director Dr. Grant Colfax described the trend as a "near doubling of our rate of diagnosing."
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"On June 15, when we first reopened outdoor dining and in-store retail, we had 20 new cases," said Mayor London Breed in a press release. "At our current rate, the number could double rapidly. If that continues and we do not intervene, we will be at such a high number that our only option would be to shut down."
"We went from a 'yellow' to what I think of as a 'high orange,'" Colfax said. "If that trend continues over the next couple of days, we could be in a red zone. When we're 'red' it means we need to take a look at pausing or even reversing (reopening)."
The reversal comes after Mayor Breed had announced earlier this week that the city was accelerating the timeline for reopening businesses.
Businesses that were slated to reopen Monday, including hair salons, barbershops, nail salons, outdoor bars, indoor museums, tattoo shops, massage parlors, zoos and outdoor public pools, will no longer be allowed to reopen, per the mayor's announcement Friday.
Hair salons and barbershops were originally planning to reopen on July 13. The reopening of bars, nail salons, tattoo parlors, massage parlors, swimming pools and indoor museums was planned for mid-August.
Mayor Breed had announced earlier this week that the city was moving up the reopening of those businesses to Monday, but because of concerns over a surge in COVID-19 cases, the timeline has now been scaled back.
"We don't know if it's going to be another week, we don't know if it's going to be another month," said Bethany Jackson, who owns Posh Hair Salon on Fillmore Street.
When Mayor Breed announced salons could open on June 29th, two weeks earlier than originally scheduled, she scrambled to get her staff and clients ready.
"It was hundreds of phone calls to get everyone rebooked," said Jackson. "Now we're just uncertain. I don't know what to tell clients, I don't know what to tell my staff."
Salons across the city are in the same position.
WATCH: San Francisco business owners frustrated as city delays reopening due to rising COVID-19 cases
"We'd love to open, but we cannot now. You know what, all the staff are ready to go back to work and then all the customers they call us to book for the whole week already," said Phuong Huynh and Vi Dang, who own Nali Nails in Japantown.
They have acrylic barriers up at every station and are ready to open.
Dang says many of their clients are traveling to other counties, like San Mateo, to get beauty services. So he's frustrated that Mayor Breed won't let them open.
"The Mayor, she waits for what," asked Dang, who questions why she won't let businesses reopen if businesses put in necessary safety protocols like they have, since he feels relying on case numbers, will never allow a reopening. "If she thinks the numbers are going to go down, she's wrong."
VIDEO: Mayor Breed gives update on response to COVID-19 in SF
Gov. Gavin Newsom commended Breed for pausing reopening. "I think what San Francisco did is exactly what the system was designed to do. That is to empower local health officers, based upon the conditions in their community," he said during a press conference Friday.
Outdoor dining, in-store retail shopping, sporting events and entertainment venues with no spectators, summer camps, private household services (nanny services, housekeeping, etc.), religious gatherings, outdoor exercise classes, and non-emergency medical appointments were all allowed to resume in San Francisco on June 15.
Indoor dining is still expected to move forward July 13 in San Francisco.
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