Reopening: San Francisco's Ferry Building Reclassified As Transit Hub, Restaurants, Shops Allowed To Reopen
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- San Francisco's iconic Ferry Building has been reclassified from an indoor shopping area to a transit hub allowing its shops and restaurants.
San Francisco currently is on the state COVID-19 Watchlist and has been forced to rollback several reopenings including large indoor shopping areas like malls and the Ferry Building.
All the shops and restaurants that were serving food to go and at outside tables were ordered to close early this week.
But on Thursday, ferry building officials said they had received a reprieve from the state.
"The Ferry Building has been notified that the state of California reclassified the building as a transport terminal, rather than an indoor shopping mall," officials said in a release. "Effective immediately, shops and restaurants inside the building can resume serving customers indoors in accordance with the latest directives from the San Francisco Department of Public Health."
Ferry building officials said normal COVID-19 prevention policies will be in place -- face coverings required, social distancing enforced and the doors will be propped open to permit touch-free entry.
The facility is also a hub for commuter ferry boats from all around the San Francisco Bay Area. During the COVID-19 outbreak those commuter lines have been running on reduced schedules.