COVID vaccine passports: The new trend in California?

On Friday afternoon, as they have done for generations every spring, baseball fans will head to San Francisco for the Giants home opener.

But to enter the ballpark this year, they will need to bring something in addition to their ticket: proof they have been vaccinated or the results of a negative COVID-19 test taken within the past 72 hours.

That requirement — imposed by San Francisco public health officials — has Bay Area residents asking: Is this a new trend or an outlier as California continues to reopen?

For now, it appears to be a unique case, experts say. But the wider issue is still evolving.

President Joe Biden and Gov. Gavin Newsom have said recently that they will not require a “vaccine passport,” or proof of vaccination, for people to attend gatherings or events. There have been questions about privacy, about fairness to low-income residents, and the role of government in creating a “haves and have nots” system. Some states, notably Florida and Texas, already have banned the use of vaccine passports. But California counties can require them under state health rules.

The Giants will have just 22% capacity at their early games — about 8,900 fans per game. The team says there will be random checks of fans at the gates for vaccine and testing information and that the rules could change later in the season as more people are vaccinated.

“I think it’s more of a one-off,” said Dr. Monica Gandhi, a professor of medicine at UC San Francisco. “I think San Francisco is being very cautious right now, but the requirement is probably going to go away. Requiring masking and seating people in small groups is enough. The testing adds little to that.”

Gandhi noted that no other baseball team in California, including the Oakland A’s, is requiring testing. Only two other baseball teams nationwide, the New York Yankees and Mets, are requiring proof of tests or vaccinations.

Gandhi, a member of the health advisory board for the San Francisco 49ers, said the board will not recommend the requirement for 49ers games when the team returns to play next season. Outdoor events pose much less health risk than indoor events, she added, and attending an event where people are wearing masks and are separated is essentially the same as going to the beach or dining at an outdoor restaurant, neither of which require vaccine or testing proof.

“Do I think it is going to be the standard? I really don’t,” she said. “Outdoor transmission is really low. About 1 in 1,000 transmissions occur outside. If anything we should be encouraging outdoor activity. Ventilation is as good as it gets outside.”

Health departments in several Bay Area counties, including Alameda and Sonoma, on Wednesday say they have no plans to exceed state rules. For now, those rules do not require testing or vaccination to attend events. Rather, they set limits on how many people can attend.

Until June 15 in California, professional sports teams can have up to 25% of their pre-pandemic capacity, vaccinated or not, if their county is classified in the red reopening tier. That bumps up to 33% in the orange tier, which includes every Bay Area County except for Solano, along with Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Cruz, Monterey and others.

The San Jose Earthquakes, whose first home game is April 24, are planning 20% capacity, with masks and separated seating, but no mandatory vaccine proof or testing.

If teams verify that all fans have tested negative or are vaccinated, however, the state’s rules allow up to 67% of normal capacity while in the orange tier.

Gov. Gavin Newsom and other state officials have not said what will happen with rules for sporting events after June 15.

The state also issued rules recently allowing venues hosting concerts, plays or other events to welcome larger crowds if they require attendees to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test or full vaccination. However, California will continue to limit certain large events such as music festivals and indoor conventions. In the case of conventions, state regulations will prohibit events with more than 5,000 attendees until Oct. 1 — unless organizers get proof of vaccinations or negative tests from attendees.

Asked about vaccine verification in a news briefing Tuesday, state Health and Human Services Secretary Mark Ghaly said, “There are not current plans by the state to impose or have a vaccine passport system.”

“That said,” Ghaly added, “We know that businesses are already exploring how they ensure that people who are vaccinated can come and enjoy some of the privileges of being vaccinated through verification. This is an approach that many businesses (and) many patrons are going to expect, and so we’re working with a number of individuals and entities across the state to make sure that that’s done responsibly, fairly and equitably.”

That appears to be where the wider trend is headed, said Dr. George Rutherford, an epidemiologist at UCSF. Rutherford said he supports the rules for the Giants because fans congregate closely on sidewalks outside the games, but he expects the city will lift them as soon as case numbers keep falling.

But he said some sort of “vaccine passport” system is likely — driven by private businesses like airlines and music promoters who want to have more paying customers than state or federal rules might otherwise allow, and a lower risk of transmission. Both the European Union and China are moving ahead with plans for vaccine passports for international travelers.

“I think it’s inevitable,” Rutherford said.

Staci Slaughter, a spokeswoman for the Giants, said while some fans may see the requirement as a hassle, others have said they are grateful for the extra layer of safety.

She would only say the Giants “have a backup plan” for fans who show up with a ticket but no proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 test and declined to explain what it was. “We have a way with working with them to facilitate their ability to access the ballpark if they show up having not known what they needed to do,” she said. “We will do that.”

Whether other parts of California will copy what San Francisco requires remains to be seen, she said.

“I’m sure it will be county-by-county,” she said, “and as more people get vaccinated there will probably be more consistency across the state. But it’s hard to predict these things. We’re all doing the best we can.”