On Friday afternoon, as they have done for generations every spring, baseball fans will head to San Francisco for the Giants ’inauguration.
But to enter the stadium this year, they will have to bring something in addition to the ticket: proof that they have been vaccinated or the results of a negative COVID test conducted in the last 72 hours.
This requirement – imposed by San Francisco public health officials – raises questions for Bay Area residents: Is it a new trend or an atypical value as California continues to reopen?
At the moment, it seems to be a unique case, experts say. But the broader issue continues to evolve.
President Joe Biden and Gov. Gavin Newsom have recently said they will not need a “vaccine passport” or a vaccination test for people to attend meetings or events. There have been questions about privacy, equity with low-income residents, and the government’s role in creating a “don’t have and don’t have” system. Some states, most notably Florida and Texas, have already banned the use of vaccine passports. But California counties may require them according to state health regulations.
The Giants will have only 22% capacity in their first games, approximately 8,900 fans per game. The team says there will be random fan checks at the gates to get information about the vaccine and testing, and that the rules could change later in the season as more people in society are vaccinated.
“I think it’s more than something unique,” said Dr. Monica Gandhi, a professor of medicine at UC San Francisco. “I think San Francisco is being very careful right now, but the requirement will probably go away. It is enough to demand masking and sit people in small groups. The evidence adds little.
Gandhi noted that no other baseball team in California, including those at Oakland A, requires testing. Only two other baseball teams nationwide, the New York Yankees and the Mets, require testing or vaccinations.
Gandhi is a member of the San Francisco 49ers health advisory board and said the board will not recommend the requirement for 49ers games when the team returns to play next season. He added that outdoor events pose a much lower health risk than indoor events, and attending an event where people wear masks and are separated is essentially the same as going to the beach or eating at an open-air restaurant, none of which requires vaccination or testing.
“I think that will be the norm? Not really, ”he said. “External transmission is really low. About 1 in 1,000 transmissions occur outside. In any case, we should encourage outdoor activity. The ventilation is as good as outside.
On Wednesday, health departments in several counties in the bay area, including Alameda and Sonoma, say they have no plans to exceed state standards. For now, these rules do not require testing or vaccinations to attend events. Rather, they set limits on who can attend.
Until June 15 in California, professional sports teams may have up to 25% of their pre-pandemic capacity, vaccinated or not, if their county is rated at the red reopening level. This sinks up to 33% at the orange level, which includes all Bay Area counties except Solano, along with Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Cruz, Monterey and others.
The San Jose earthquakes, whose first home game is on April 24, are expected to have a 20% capacity, with separate masks and seats, but no tests or mandatory tests.
However, if teams verify that all fans have been negative or are vaccinated, state regulations allow for up to 67% of normal capacity while at the orange level.
Gov. Gavin Newsom and other state officials have not said what will happen to the rules for sporting events after June 15.
The state also issued rules recently that allow venues that host concerts, plays or other events to welcome larger crowds if they require attendees to demonstrate a negative COVID-19 test or a complete vaccination. However, California will continue to limit certain important events, such as music festivals and indoor conventions. In the case of conventions, state regulations will prohibit events with more than 5,000 attendees through Oct. 1, unless organizers obtain vaccination evidence or negative evidence from attendees.
Secretary of State for Health and Human Services Mark Ghaly asked in a briefing on vaccine verification on Tuesday: “There are no current plans by the state to impose or have a vaccine passport system.” .
“That said,” Ghaly added, “we know that companies are already exploring how to ensure that vaccinated people can come and enjoy some of the privileges of getting vaccinated through verification. This is an approach that many (and) many companies customers are waiting, so we are working with various people and entities across the state to make sure it is done responsibly, equitably and equitably. ”
That seems to be where the broader trend is heading, said Dr. George Rutherford, a UCSF epidemiologist. Rutherford said he supports the Giants’ rules because fans gather closely on the sidewalks outside of games, but he hopes the city lifts them soon as cases continue to fall.
But he said there is likely to be a type of “vaccine passport” driven by private companies such as airlines and music promoters who want to have more paying customers than state or federal rules could allow, and a lower risk of transmission. . Both the European Union and China are moving forward with plans for vaccine passports for international travelers.
“I think it’s inevitable,” Rutherford said.
Staci Slaughter, a spokeswoman for the Giants, said that while some fans may see the requirement as a nuisance, others have said they appreciate the extra layer of security.
I would just say that the Giants “have a safety plan” for fans who show up with a ticket, but don’t have vaccination tests or negative COVID tests and refuse to explain what it was. “We have a way of working with them to make it easier for them to get into the stadium if they show up without knowing what they had to do,” he said. “We will.”
It remains to be seen whether other parts of California will copy what San Francisco requires, he said.
“I’m sure it will be county by county,” he said, “and as more people are vaccinated, there will probably be more consistency across the state. But it’s hard to predict those things. We all do the best we can.”