San Francisco bars to require vaccine proof, negative COVID-19 tests to drink inside

A group that represents nearly 500 bars in San Francisco said on Monday that customers will be required to show proof of vaccination or a recent COVID-19 test showing a negative result in order to drink inside.

The group, the San Francisco Bar Owner Alliance, confirmed to NBC News that its members would be implementing the new rules starting Thursday.

In its statement announcing the new move, the group said it’s “obligated to protect our workers and their families and to offer safe space for customers to relax and socialize.”

The alliance reportedly added that the move came after it saw a number of bar workers come down with coronavirus infections despite being vaccinated.

The announcement arrived the same day California said it would be requiring state employees and health care workers to show proof of vaccination or undergo weekly testing for the virus as it works to curb the spread of the disease amid rising cases of the delta variant.

“We are now dealing with a pandemic of the unvaccinated, and it’s going to take renewed efforts to protect Californians from the dangerous Delta variant,” Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said in a press release.

“As the state’s largest employer, we are leading by example and requiring all state and health care workers to show proof of vaccination or be tested regularly, and we are encouraging local governments and businesses to do the same,” he said.

“Vaccines are safe — they protect our family, those who truly can’t get vaccinated, our children and our economy. Vaccines are the way we end this pandemic,” he added.

Recent California data show that 62.1 percent of the state’s population is fully vaccinated.