Sacramento considers vaccine mandate for indoor activities. Here’s what would be covered
Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg is considering a mandate requiring people to show proof of a COVID-19 vaccine to enter bars, restaurants, concert venues and gyms.
“I think a fair number of businesses would rather require a vaccine than be shut down again, with cases going up this way,” said Mary Lynne Vellinga, Steinberg’s spokeswoman. “The mayor will only be interested in a mandate if the business community makes it clear they support it.”
Amid the highly contagious delta variant, Sacramento County’s daily cases have skyrocketed, from 7.2 per 100,000 residents for the week ending July 1 to 28 per 100,000 by July 31, according to the local health office.
Steinberg is still working out the details of the potential mandate, Vellinga said. It’s possible that a recent negative test could also be accepted for entry. The mayor has been discussing the idea with business groups to get their input.
Azizza Davis Goines, president and CEO of the Sacramento Black Chamber of Commerce, said she “wholeheartedly” supports the idea.
“People are dying,” Davis Goines said. “And not only are people dying, but the people who are vaccinated are being held hostage and we need to live. I think mandating might encourage more vaccinations.”
The city attorney will determine whether the requirement would need City Council approval, Vellinga said.
At least one council member is opposed to the idea.
“If you don’t have your card, then that business cannot accept you, so you just lost a customer,” said Sean Loloee, who represents North Sacramento. “If you’re not vaccinated, you just lost another customer.”
Loloee, who owns two grocery stores in North Sacramento, said the mandate would negatively impact small businesses especially. He said the city’s focus should instead be on educating people about the importance of getting the vaccine.
He thinks the decision on the mandate should go to the City Council.
“I have a lot of respect for our mayor,” Loloee said. “He’s trying everything in his power to make Sacramento a safe and a great city. But I would like to have a discussion on this and hear the reasoning behind the aggressive mandating.”
City Councilman Eric Guerra said he supports the idea.
“Anything we can do to increase vaccination rates, to use that in combination with other tools to keep people healthy, is an important thing,” Guerra said. “The only thing is how this gets implemented. That is really the question we need to work with the business owners on.”
Sacramento could become one of the first major cities in the country to impose such a mandate, following San Francisco and New York.
Starting Friday, San Francisco will require people to show proof of being fully vaccinated to enter bars, restaurants, entertainment venues and fitness facilities, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Employees of those business have until Oct. 13 to be vaccinated — a component that would not be part of the Sacramento mandate as of now.
New York City will start Tuesday requiring patrons of the same types of businesses to show proof of at least one dose to enter — the first major city in the country to do so, according to WNBC.
Among eligible Sacramento County residents, 62% are fully vaccinated and 70% have had at least one dose, according to data from the California Department of Public Health.
People could either show a paper copy of their vaccine card, or download a digital copy from the state’s website.
The Sacramento Kings, the Aftershock music festival and hospitals are requiring proof of vaccines or a negative test for entry.
The city is requiring all employees to be fully vaccinated by Sept. 1 or face termination, according to a memo sent to union leaders Thursday. The city’s negotiators are meeting with unions this week to discuss the impacts of the requirement.
“The first thing we need to do is set an example with our own city employees,” Vellinga said.
Staff reporter Michael McGough contributed to this report.
This story was originally published August 16, 2021 at 1:40 PM.
