Yesterday, Oakland City Council members passed an ordinance that would go into effect on February 1, 2022. It would require that everyone 12 years and older (except those medically exempt) need proof of vaccination to enter: restaurants, gyms, museums, theaters, coffee shops, concert venues, large indoor gatherings, and senior centers. City Hall is included but a negative COVID test taken within 3 days also works.
Originally, dentist offices and public libraries were also a part of the list, but they have been exempt.
Those 12-18 do not need to show ID, just proof of vaccination. Those older than 18 need to show proof of being fully vaccinated, defined as two weeks after the second dose of Pfizer or Moderna or two weeks after one shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine–as well as an ID (a library card would count).
The impetus for this ordinance is the rise in omicron cases in other parts of the country. Read the full text of the ordinance here (PDF).
According to this SF Chronicle article, a lab testing PCR samples is showing that 71% of cases in the Bay Area are now the omicron variant, similar to the percentage in other parts of the country.
Meanwhile, local restaurants are shutting down before they planned to due to positive cases or to be cautious.
Here is a list of where to get tested in Alameda County and Oakland.
Momo Chang is a freelance journalist based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is the Oakland Voices Co-Director. Her work focuses on healthcare, immigration, education, Asian American communities, food and culture. She is a former staff writer at the Oakland Tribune. Momo has received journalism awards from the Society of Professional Journalists for investigative reporting and the Asian American Journalists Association, among others. Her work has appeared in the East Bay Express, San Francisco Chronicle, Wired, and The New York Times. Momo is primarily a print journalist who also produces audio and visual stories for documentary film and radio. She is a Senior Contributing Editor for Hyphen and formerly the Content Manager at the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM).
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