The Pandemic & Package Theft: Celebrating a Safe Holiday Season

With San Francisco facing a significant surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, our choices on how to spend the holidays safely matter more than ever. Although the holiday season is traditionally spent with loved ones, the pandemic dictates that what we do now will directly impact how many people will get sick

from COVID-19 this winter.

In a nutshell, the City of San Francisco advises people to “do your part this year, so we can come together next year.”

Amid the pandemic, the City is asking people to celebrate the holidays by engaging in activities at home with people you live with, rather than venturing out or

gathering in large groups. To this end, City officials have compiled this helpful guide as to what is and what isn’t allowed during the pandemic:

DO: Activities at home with people you live with; remote parties with friends; outdoor gatherings with food or drink, with up to six people from three different households; takeout from a local restaurant; outdoor dining at a local restaurant; and wear your face covering if you leave home.

AVOID: Singing, chanting, shouting or playing wind or brass instruments with people you don’t live with; and unnecessary travel, especially to a holiday festival.

DON'T: Gather with more than 25 people from three households, inside or outside; celebrate indoors with anyone who doesn’t live with you; or go to a local festival or block party, where larger crowds may gather. (These activities are banned during the pandemic).

"San Francisco will recover from this pandemic, but what that recovery looks like and how fast it comes is on all of us,” stated Mayor London N. Breed on the City’s website. “Our individual actions to control the spread of the virus, to support our small businesses and to help our neighbors in need is the key to our city emerging from the pandemic. By confronting this challenge together, we will protect and build back the city we love."

For more info on safe holiday practices during the pandemic and other related info, visit the City’s website. Also be sure to check out SF SAFE’s tips for avoiding package thefts, which have increased during the pandemic and could worsen during the holiday season.