A racy San Francisco street fair took place Sunday as it was one part of a busy weekend in the city. But some San Francisco residents have expressed concern that the weekend events could lead to more monkeypox cases.
A few blocks in the South of Market neighborhood turned into a street fair called “Dore Alley” or “Up Your Alley” Sunday. Some people consider it a more racy version of the Folsom Street Fair as many came in from out of town to attend the event.
Russ Bono, who visited from Palm Springs said it’s a personal tradition. But he thinks it feels a little different this year and added that taking reasonable precautions make sense.
“I’ve had four COVID shots. As soon as I can get a monkeypox vaccine, I will,” he said.
Other weekend events in San Francisco include parties. Some people reconsidered their weekend plans due to the monkeypox concerns.
The city of San Francisco is implementing a local public health emergency starting on Monday as cases rise.
Organizers said they were doing their best to keep the community safe and informed. They added hand sanitizing stations and more space for move around during the event.
Experts said for those who don’t have a vaccine or prior infection, there are three main ways it spreads, the most typical is through prolonged skin-to-skin exposure with an infected person. Infections have happened through the exchange of bodily fluids, and the least likely is through exposure to soiled clothes or bedding of an infected person.
NBC Bay Area spoke with UCSF infectious disease specialist Dr. Peter Chin-Hong earlier this week about the weekend events and the possible spread of the monkeypox.
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“I think probably more risky things in both Outside Lands and Dore Alley will be the things that happen after the event or around the private event spaces, where people are intimate with each other,” he said.
