For the first time since March, folks in San Francisco can finally get a haircut, lift heavy in a gym or take in the sight of an abstract painting â all inside.
Nail salons, gyms, massage services and barber shops will be allowed to reopen for indoor operation in the city Monday, with “limited capacity.” Museums can open as early as Sept. 21 after submitting health and safety plans to the city.
That’s according to San Francisco Mayor London Breed, who jointly announced the next phase of reopenings with the Department of Public Health.
âIâm so glad we can move forward earlier than expected to reopen more businesses that have been closed since March. These businesses have been struggling, and starting Monday, theyâll finally be able to serve customers again, with the necessary safety precautions and modifications in place,â Breed said, in a statement.
Just where in the Bay Area you can get your bangs trimmed during the pandemic, or hop on a treadmill, has been a fluid, ever-changing journey. Cities and counties have opened and closed up back again. The patchwork response in myriad California counties has meant, for months, people across the bay could get haircuts, while San Franciscans were left growing mullets and other long hairdos.
In late August Gov. Gavin Newsom introduced a more strict reopening plan using a four-tiered, color-coded system to more easily communicate what types of businesses could open in which counties, depending on local risk level.
Danielle Rabkin, owner of CrossFit Golden Gate, said her gym has been hammered financially by the pandemic closure. She’s relieved to be able to finally open her doors again.
“Every day matters after almost six months of closure,” Rabkin said. And while her business was allowed to operate outside, that’s changed with the recent wildfires. “We absolutely need to move it inside with this air quality,” she said.
Hotels, outdoor family entertainment centers, drive-in entertainment â like outdoor movies â and outdoor tour buses and boats will also reopen on Sept. 14Â under rules for outdoor gatherings, which Breed previously announced.
â Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez (@FitztheReporter)
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