Good morning everyone,

First The Heart of Jtown Community Town Hall Meeting
Thank you to all who attended yesterday’s first “the Heart of Jtown Community Town Hall” meeting. We had over 75 registered attendees listen in on the presentation and provide great feedback during the Q&A session. The meeting was very informative and Japantown community representatives spoke about the status of nonprofits/arts organizations, small businesses as well as relief efforts under way and plans on how to engage visitors to safely come back to support our restaurants and storefronts.

We’re working on having the Town Hall meeting available online for those who were not able to join and we’ll have a recap posted on the Heart of Jtown website. Special thanks to Greg Viloria for his assistance in keeping the meeting running smoothly.

Important Updates
Below are some important updates regarding the reopening of San Francisco. Please read through. If you have any questions, you can contact us at info@jtowncbd.org.

Please continue to stay safe!
JCBD Staff

Yesterday Mayor London N. Breed announced the timeline and plan for reopening San Francisco that will allow certain businesses and activities to resume with modifications in phases over the coming weeks and months. You can find the official press release by clicking here.

The following list does not include all the businesses and activities that the City has included in the plan for reopening. For more information, go to SF.gov/reopening.

Phase 2A – June 1st   

  • Child care

  • Outdoor curbside retail for services with minimal contact (shoe repair, dog grooming, etc.)

Phase 2B – June 15th

  • Most indoor retail

  • Outdoor dining (please see information below)

  • Private household indoor services

  • Religious services and ceremonies

  • Non-emergency medical appointments

Phase 2C – July 13th

  • Indoor dining with modifications

  • Hair salons and barbershops

  • Real estate open houses (by appointment only)

Phase 3 – Mid-August – to be determined

  • Schools with modifications

  • Bars

  • Other personal services: Nail salons, Massage establishments, Tattoo parlors

  • Indoor Museums

Phase 4 – Date to be determined

  • Live audience sports and performances

  • Nightclubs

  • Festivals

  • All hotels and lodging for leisure and tourism

Zoom Meeting for Japantown Restaurants
Once guidelines are posted for Phase 2C of reopening timeline that will include indoor dining with modifications, the JCBD will host a Zoom meeting with a representative from SF Department of Health to provide guidance and answer questions.

Per Mayor London Breed’s announcement San Francisco restaurants will be able to offer outdoor dining and take advantage of the new Shared Spaces program beginning June 15th. The City also anticipates reopening indoor dining with modifications on July 13th.

Shared Spaces Program & Outdoor Dining
The Shared Spaces program will allow neighborhood businesses to share a portion of the public right-of-way for restaurant pick-up and other neighborhood retail activity. This could include sidewalks, parking spaces, streets, and other public spaces.

Outdoor dining is expected to be allowed to resume in San Francisco on June 15th.

Restaurants will be able to apply for a free, expedited permit to share sidewalk or curbside space for table dining or retail activity. Businesses must self-manage safety and accessibility requirements like ensuring a clear path for pedestrians. Applications to use a portion or entirety of the street or nearby parks will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Businesses can sign up to get an email notification from the City when applications are open..
 

Requirements for All Open Businesses

Businesses MUST complete and have ready the following 3 items before reopening.

  1. Post a Health and Safety Plan per new industry-specific guidance provided under Health Officer Order No. C19-07c.
    Download fillable Health and Safety Plan forms by industry:

  2. Post a Social Distancing Protocol per the Shelter in Place Order. A fillable version can be downloaded here.

  3. Follow the Face Covering Order by instituting policies to 1) inform customers about the new requirement, 2) take reasonable steps to only give access to those with face coverings, and 3) refuse service to anyone not following the order.

The above SF Dept. of Health posters/flyers must be posted at the entry way of your business along with a completed the Health & Safety Plan and Social Distancing Protocol.

Also make sure to mark your entry way so that customers stay 6 feet apart. It can be as simple as taping colored tape on the ground/floor.

If your business is offering curbside pick up, please follow the guidelines shown on this graphic.
 

Updated list on the 49 Essential Businesses that are open. Please help us spread the word and share on your social media/website.

Please note the changes in operating hours for the Japan Center Garage. Please share this information with your staff and customers.