Disease Prevention and Control, San Francisco Department of Public Health

Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information for Businesses, Employers, and Employees

Return Safer Together

Capacity restrictions have been lifted. For information on what restrictions may remain, please refer to the Safer Return Together Health Order. Also, see Frequently Asked Questions for San Francisco’s Safer Return Together Health Order.

Core Guidance During the COVID-19 Pandemic

After June 15, 2021, many of SFDPH’s COVID-19 guidance documents will not be updated unless necessary. All SFDPH COVID-19 guidance documents are clearly marked to indicate the time of the last update. Documents that are no longer applicable will be removed.

Interim Guidance: Core Guidance During the COVID-19 Pandemic (SFDPH) This is a summary of core guidance about COVID-19, how it is spread, and how to prevent it, including concise information about vaccination, contact tracing, and ventilation. This document will continue to be updated even after many I&G documents are retired.

 

Go To SFCDCP.ORG COVID-19 Page For the Public
Go To SFCDCP.ORG COVID-19 Page For Schools
Go To SFCDCP.ORG COVID-19 Page For Health Care Providers

Health Officer Orders and Directives

Quick Links

See What's New

Information and Guidance Applicable to All Businesses

Required Screening for COVID-19

SFDPH no longer requires that organizations perform on-site pre-entry health checks.  This includes: screening for symptoms of COVID-19, asking about close contact with others who have COVID-19, measuring temperatures, or verifying completion of remote self-screening.  Instead, SFDPH recommends that all individuals monitor themselves for COVID-19 symptoms or exposures, and that employers ask employees to evaluate their own symptoms before reporting to work.  If they have symptoms, individuals should isolate, except to get tested, or seek medical care when necessary.

Organizations may choose to continue on-site health checks or verify remote self-screening and, in some cases, state and other regulatory agencies may require it.  If an organization conducts on-site health checks, it should be done safely, respectfully, and in accordance with applicable privacy and confidentiality laws.  For additional resources, including optional sample screening forms, see below. 

Scientific Rationale: On-site, pre-entry health checks have limited benefit in preventing the spread of COVID-19, particularly as infections decrease and more people get vaccinated.  Health checks do not identify people who are infected but without symptoms or people with mild symptoms who might not realize they are infected.  As such, they are not a replacement for other protective measures, such as getting vaccinated, using masks, physical distancing, and hand hygiene.  (Updated 6/11/21)

See below for the screening form for Non-Personnel (clients, visitors, etc.)

Other Screening Guidance:

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

For PPE recommendations for healthcare workers, see www.sfcdcp.org/hcpPPE

Should I “double-mask” (i.e., wear one mask on top of another)? 

  • Double masking is not always better than single masking especially if you have a very high quality, effective single mask or N95 respirator. Double masking might be more protective than single masking, especially when the top mask helps the bottom mask fit more snugly around your face without gaps. Using two masks made from different materials might also provide improved protection because one mask may capture particles the other doesn’t and vice versa. However, a double mask could become uncomfortable and cause the wearer to remove the masks more frequently, which would be far worse than consistently wearing one mask. The best mask is a mask you will wear consistently. Read more at www.sfcdcp.org/doublemask.

Should the general public wear an N95 respirator?

Properly fitted N95 respirators (sometimes called N95 masks or N95s) offer additional protection from the COVID-19 virus which can get past other types of face coverings. Some occupations have regulations that require the use of N95 respirators given the risks involved in the work (e.g., healthcare workers). Even if your occupation doesn’t require or have a standard to use N95 respirators, you may want to consider using an N95 respirator for extra protection especially if you are unvaccinated for COVID-19 AND:

  • Are at higher risk of severe illness if you get COVID-19 due to age or underlying medical conditions (see sfcdcp.org/vulnerable)
  • Must be in higher-risk situations where you can’t practice ideal safety precautions such as if you must be indoors and can’t maintain 6 feet distance or you must be indoors around people who are unmasked. Examples include:
    • Being indoors around unmasked individuals (e.g., dining, personal services where masks are removed, public transit, etc.)
    • Entering indoor settings where people have been unmasked (e.g., dining, hotel room service, janitors, personal services, etc.)
    • Being indoors with exposure to a high volume of masked people throughout the day (high volume grocery store workers, high volume retail workers, transit operators)
    • Being outdoors around unmasked individuals and at least 6 feet of distance is not maintained (e.g., outdoor dining, personal services where masks are removed, etc.)
  • Must be in a higher risk situation such as being indoors with someone who has COVID-19 or was a close contact of someone with COVID-19

Please be aware that to work effectively to prevent COVID-19, NIOSH-certified N95 masks should be tightly fitted around your face. An N95 mask is not for everyone, is not designed for children, and will increase the work of breathing, which may make it difficult to wear for long periods of time. If you feel worse wearing an N95 mask, do not wear one. For more information on how to properly and safely wear N95 respirators, see Tip Sheet: Safety Information Regarding Voluntary Use of N95 Respirators

Should the general public wear eye protection (e.g., face shield, goggles) to protect themselves from COVID-19?

      There is currently no recommendation that the general public wears eye protection for most day to day activities.  However, your eyes can theoretically be a route of infection for COVID-19, possibly through close contact to an infected person who is not wearing a mask, when they cough, sneeze, or laugh.  You can also be exposed by touching your eyes with your hands if they have been contaminated with COVID-19.  A face shield or goggles (but not regular glasses) could provide protection against these types of exposures. Therefore, individuals, particularly those at high risk of exposure or serious disease from COVID, may decide to wear eye protection in addition to masking, as an extra layer of protection against acquiring COVID-19 infection.

Please note that the documents below are intended for City-operated facilities.

Signage & Printable Resources

You can download flyers and posters about the public health order from the SF.GOV outreach toolkit.

Small businesses can request posters and flyers for free, for pickup or delivery.

Industry/Sector Specific Guidance