San Jose, Mountain View, Brentwood requiring masks indoors in public buildings
SAN JOSE, Calif. - For the first time since March of 2020, San Jose City Hall open its doors to the public. If you need help with city services, residents can meet with someone face to face by appointment only.
"We were just ready to slowly open," said Vicki Day, City of San Jose Co-Director of Recovery Communications. "Not all of the staff is coming back at the same time. They are coming back in a phased approach."
Martin Luther King Library downtown will also re-open Monday. If you’re entering any city building, bring a mask, it's required indoors.
"The spike in the Delta variant that’s been happening recently, the new recommendation both from the CDC, the state and the county that they are strongly recommending that," said Day. "We just decided to take it a step further."
In San Jose, 85 percent of residents have gotten vaccinated. Mountain View and Brentwood are also re-instating masks in public buildings. San Francisco could be next.
"In San Francisco, over 77 percent of the people have been fully vaccinated," said San Francisco Mayor London Breed. "We see this Delta variant is really taking shape so we definitely, we have to be diligent and be concerned about what that means."
"I think it’s necessary, I think we are not in a great place when it comes to the virus because of Delta, it’s much worse that what we were battling six months ago," said Dr. Bob Wachter, UCSF Chair of Medicine.
More cities are seeing a surge in cases. According to Dr. Wachter, there were 10 COVID cases a day in San Francisco six weeks ago. Up to nearly 200 cases a day now.
"I think it makes a lot of sense for universal masking inside until we get out of this pickle," said Dr. Wachter.
"If I walk into a place I don't have my mask on and another person doesn't, I don't know if they've been vaccinated or not," said Kim Boudreaux of San Jose.
Vaccine mandates are becoming more common. Federal, state, UC system and healthcare workers in California are required to be vaccinated or get tested. San Jose is considering something similar
"We are considering requiring vaccination or testing for city employees," said Day.
Some bars in San Jose like Haberdasher are also requiring proof of the shot and an ID that matches before entry. It’s in step with the San Francisco Bar Alliance’s new policy.
"It just felt almost reckless or not responsible to just throw the doors open and let everyone inside," said Haberdasher Owner Cache Bouren.
Azenith Smith is a reporter for KTVU. Email Azenith at azenith.smith@fox.com and follow her on Twitter and Instagram @AzenithKTVU or Facebook or ktvu.com.