The new trend in California?

Friday afternoon, as they have done for generations every spring, baseball fans will travel to San Francisco for the Giants’ home opener.

But to enter the stadium this year, they will need to bring something in addition to their ticket: proof that they have been vaccinated or the results of a negative COVID-19 test taken in the past 72 hours.

This requirement – imposed by San Francisco public health officials – asked Bay Area residents: is this a new trend or an outlier as California continues to reopen?

So far, this appears to be a unique case, experts say. But the larger question is still evolving.

President Joe Biden and Governor Gavin Newsom recently said they won’t need a “vaccination passport,” or proof of vaccination, for people to attend rallies or events. There were questions about privacy, fairness to low-income residents, and the role of government in creating a “have and have not” system. Some states, including Florida and Texas, have already banned the use of vaccine passports. But California counties can require them under state health rules.

The Giants will only have 22% capacity in their first games – around 8,900 fans per game. The team says there will be random fan checks at the gates for information on vaccines and testing, and the rules could change later in the season as more people get vaccinated.

“I think it’s more punctual,” said Dr. Monica Gandhi, professor of medicine at UC San Francisco. “I think San Francisco is very careful right now, but the requirement will probably go away. Just hide and place people in small groups. The tests don’t add much to that. “

Gandhi noted that no other baseball team in California, including the Oakland A’s, requires testing. Only two other baseball teams in the country, the New York Yankees and the Mets, require proof of tests or vaccinations.

Gandhi, a member of the San Francisco 49ers health advisory board, said the board would not recommend the 49ers game requirement when the team returns to play next season. Outdoor events pose much less health risk than indoor events, she added, and attending an event where people wear masks and are separated is essentially like going to the beach or having dinner. in an outdoor restaurant, none of which requires a vaccine or testing.

“Do I think this will be the norm? I really don’t know, ”she said. “The transmission outdoors is really weak. About 1 in 1,000 transmissions occurs outdoors. On the contrary, we should encourage outdoor activities. The ventilation is as good as outside. “

Health departments in several Bay Area counties, including Alameda and Sonoma, said on Wednesday they did not plan to exceed state rules. At this time, these rules do not require testing or vaccination to attend events. On the contrary, they set limits on the number of people who can attend.

Until June 15 in California, professional sports teams can have up to 25% of their pre-pandemic capacity, vaccinated or not, if their county is classified in the red reopening tier. That climbs to 33% in the Orange tier, which includes all of the Bay Area counties except Solano, as well as Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Cruz, Monterey, and others.

The San Jose earthquakes, which have their first home game on April 24, provide for 20% capacity, with separate masks and seats, but no proof of vaccine or mandatory testing.

If teams verify that all fans have tested negative or are vaccinated, state rules allow up to 67% of normal capacity in the orange tier.

Gov. Gavin Newsom and other state officials have not said what will happen with the rules for sporting events after June 15.

The state also released rules recently allowing venues hosting concerts, plays, or other events to accommodate larger crowds if they require attendees to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test. or a full vaccination. However, California will continue to limit certain large events such as music festivals and indoor conventions. In the case of conventions, national regulations will ban events with more than 5,000 participants until October 1 – unless the organizers obtain proof of vaccination or negative tests from participants.

Asked about the vaccine verification at a press briefing Tuesday, Secretary of State for Health and Human Services Mark Ghaly said: “The state currently does not plan to impose or have a passport system for vaccines. “

“That said,” Ghaly added, “we know companies are already exploring how they make sure people who have been vaccinated can come and enjoy some of the privileges of getting vaccinated by verification. This is an approach that many businesses (and) many customers will expect, and so we are working with a number of individuals and entities across the state to ensure this is done in the right way. responsible, fair and equitable.

This appears to be the direction of the general trend, said Dr George Rutherford, epidemiologist at UCSF. Rutherford has said he supports the Giants’ rules because fans congregate tightly on the sidewalks outside of games, but he expects the city to lift them as soon as the number of cases continues to drop.

But he said some sort of “vaccine passport” system is likely – driven by private companies like airlines and music promoters who want to have more paying customers than state or federal rules would otherwise allow, and lower risk of transmission. The European Union and China are moving forward with vaccination passport plans for international travelers.

“I think it’s inevitable,” Rutherford said.

Staci Slaughter, a spokesperson for the Giants, said that while some fans may see this requirement as an issue, others have said they are grateful for the extra layer of security.

She would only say that the Giants “have a back-up plan” for fans who show up with a ticket but no proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 test and refused to explain what it was. “We have a way to work with them to facilitate their ability to get to the ballpark if they show up without knowing what to do,” she said. “We will do it.”

It remains to be seen whether other parts of California will copy what San Francisco needs, she said.

“I’m sure it will be county by county,” she said, “and as more and more people get vaccinated there will likely be more consistency across the state. But these things are difficult to predict. We are all doing our best. “