COVID: New Year's Eve Bash At SF Restaurant Cites UCSF Health Expert's 'Harm Reduction Model'
SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) - As pandemic parklets for outdoor dining sit empty and forlorn amidst stay-at-home order 2.0, a San Francisco's 620 Jones is thumbing its nose at the regulations. The restaurant is advertising for an in-person, outdoor New Year's Eve party on Instagram. The dinner and drag show is planned from 8 pm to midnight, with limited reservations for parties of 4, 6 or 8.
The restaurant may not be complying with state and local pandemic regulations, but there are those like Dr. Monica Gandhi of UCSF pushing for a harm reduction model this New Years Eve, if people chose to gather to kick 2020 to the curb.
"So, it's acknowledging the reality of the situation that some people are going to gather and saying 'I prefer you not get together. But, if you're going to, let me tell you x,x,x, - how to do it safely.' And that's what harm reduction means," said Dr. Gandhi.
That includes gathering outdoors, opening windows or doors indoors, wearing masks, staying six feet apart, making separate drink stations and minimizing the number of people.
In comments on their Instagram page, 620 Jones references Dr. Gandhi and states the party is a sit-down dinner outside with a strictly regulated number of guests per table.
KPIX5 reached out to San Francisco's COVID-19 center to ask about the party, but got no response.
The Department of Emergency Management posted a video about NYE from Mayor London Breed to Twitter.
"As you make your choices this holiday, please think about that, think about what you can do to get us through these next few weeks," Breed said.