Coronavirus California

Holiday travelers arriving in Bay Area say they'll quarantine for Christmas, if they have to

ByCornell Barnard KGO logo

Sunday, December 20, 2020

Will holiday travelers arriving to Bay Area quarantine?

Less than a week before Christmas, it's normally a time when many families head out to spend time with friends and relatives. But this year is anything but normal and travel is discouraged by the state.

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KGO) -- Less than a week before Christmas, it's normally a time when many families head out to spend time with friends and relatives. But this year is anything but normal and travel is discouraged by the state. A travel quarantine for two local counties is now in effect.

Laronica Fisher and her mom Jenny are enjoying a holiday reunion at baggage claim at SFO. Jenny's plane just arrived from Atlanta.

"If they want me to quarantine, I will. I'm just glad to be here," said Jenny Francois.

Laronica lives in San Joaquin County where COVID-19 cases are surging, as for her holiday plans.

"We're staying at home most of the time, mom's a senior so I'm concerned her being out in the public," said Laronica Fisher.

SFO was fairly quiet on Saturday afternoon. But the TSA reports more than one million travelers were screened nationally on Friday.

Reminders are everywhere about a mandatory travel quarantine now in effect.

"San Francisco and Santa Clara County now require a 10 day quarantine upon arrival. Other Bay Area counties have other restrictions," said a recorded message at SFO.

San Francisco's order took effect Friday. It's a ten day quarantine for anyone traveling outside San Francisco or Santa Clara Counties.

Penny White just arrived from Salt Lake City.

"I'm staying at my sisters in San Francisco, we'll quarantine together," said White.

It's the dream on the horizon, a world without masks, where you glide through the airport or sit down to dinner wherever you want. The question now is, will you need a so-called "vaccine passport" to get there?

The travel quarantine is mandatory but will the city enforce it? The answer is likely no. Instead, officials hope travelers will do the right thing.

"Only when things get out of control is when we'll take stronger action," said Francis Zamora, Chief of Staff at the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management.

Zamora says for now it's about outreach and education.

Patrice Christianson's family survived COVID-19. She believes people need to stay at home but she doesn't believe a quarantine will work.

"We've got to find a balance so people can survive and live, otherwise they're not going to do any of it, that's where I feel like we are," she said.

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