Friday afternoon, as every generation has done every spring, baseball fans will head to San Francisco for the Giants home opener.
But to enter the ballpark this year, they need to bring something extra to their ticket: proof that they have been vaccinated or the result of a negative COVID test taken in the past 72 hours.
The requirement, set by public health officials in San Francisco, asks Bay residents: Is this a new trend or an outlier as California continues to reopen?
For now, it appears to be a unique case, experts say. But the broader issue is still evolving.
President Joe Biden and Governor Gavin Newsom recently said they do not need a “vaccine passport,” or proof of vaccination, for people to attend gatherings or events. There were questions about privacy, about fairness to low-income residents, and the role of government in creating a ‘haves and nots’ system. Some states, especially Florida and Texas, have already banned the use of vaccine passports. But California provinces may require it according to health rules.
The Giants will only have 22% at their early games – about 8,900 fans per game. The team says random investigations will be done by fans for vaccination and testing of information, and that the rules may change later in the season as more people are vaccinated in the community.
“I think it’s more one-off,” said Dr. Monica Gandhi, a professor of medicine at UC San Francisco, said. ‘I think San Francisco is very careful now, but the requirement is likely to disappear. It is enough to mask and put people in small groups. The testing adds little to that. ”
Gandhi noted that no other baseball team in California, including the Oakland A’s, needs testing. Only two other baseball teams nationwide, the New York Yankees and Mets, need proof of tests 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 plays again next season. Outdoor events pose far fewer health risks than indoor events, she added, and attending an event where people wear masks and are separated is essentially the same as going to the beach or going to an outdoor restaurant eat.
‘I think it’s going to be the standard? I really do not do that, ”she said. ‘External transmission is really low. About 1 in every 1000 broadcasts takes place outside. If anything, we should encourage outdoor activities. Ventilation is just as good as outside. ”
Health departments in several Bay Area provinces, including Alameda and Sonoma, said Wednesday they do not intend to exceed state rules. For now, these rules do not require any testing or vaccination to attend events. Rather, they set limits on how many people can attend.
Until June 15 in California, professional sports teams can have up to 25% of their capacity before pandemic, vaccinated or not, if their province is classified in the red reopening level. It bumps up to 33% in the orange level, which includes every Bay Area County except Solano, along with Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Cruz, Monterey and others.
The earthquakes in San Jose, the first home game of which is on April 24, plan 20% capacity, with masks and separate seats, but no mandatory vaccine resistance or testing.
However, if teams verify that all fans have tested negative or been vaccinated, state rules allow for up to 67% of normal capacity while in the orange level.
Government Gavin Newsom and other government officials have not said what will happen after June 15 with rules for sporting events.
The state has also issued rules that recently allow venues hosting concerts, plays or other events to welcome larger crowds if participants are required to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test or complete vaccination. California, however, will continue to limit certain major events such as music festivals and indoor events. In the case of conventions, state regulations would ban events with more than 5,000 participants until October 1 – unless organizers get evidence of vaccinations or negative tests from participants.
Health and Human Services Minister Mark Ghaly asked in a newsletter on Tuesday about the vaccine verification: “There are currently no plans from the state to set up or have a passport system.”
“That said,” Ghaly added, “we know that businesses are already investigating how they ensure that people who are vaccinated can get away with the privileges of being vaccinated through verification. This is an approach that many businesses (and) will expect many patrons, which is why we work with a number of individuals and entities across the state to ensure that this is done in a responsible, fair and equitable manner. . ‘
This is apparently the direction of the broader trend, said dr. George Rutherford, an epidemiologist at UCSF, said. Rutherford said he supports the rules for the Giants because fans gather outside the games on sidewalks, but he expects the city to lift them soon as case numbers continue to drop.
But he said a kind of “vaccine passport” system is likely – driven by private companies such as airlines and music promoters who want more paying customers than state or federal rules would otherwise allow, and a lower risk of transfer. Both the European Union and China are pursuing plans for vaccine passports for international travelers.
“I think it’s inevitable,” Rutherford said.
Giants spokesman Staci Slaughter said while some fans may view the requirement as a hassle, others said they were grateful for the extra layer of security.
She would just say that the Giants have “a backup plan” for fans who show up with a ticket but no evidence of vaccination or a negative COVID test, and did not want to explain what it was. “We have a way of working with them to facilitate their access to the ballpark when they show up and do not know what to do,” she said. “We’ll do it.”
Whether other parts of California will copy what San Francisco needs remains to be seen, she said.
“I’m sure it will be country by country,” she said, “and as more people are vaccinated, there will probably be more consistency across the country. But it’s hard to predict these things. We all do the best we can. ”