San Francisco's COVID-19 emergency declaration is one of many slated to end Tuesday.
Many residents say that's good news and signals progress in the fight to contain COVID. But for some of the city's most vulnerable residents, it raises new concerns and they're hoping the city will keep some protections in place.
Wearing N95 masks and holding signs that read “no body is disposable” and “keep masks in healthcare”, a small group of residents gathered at city hall demanding a simple answer from the mayor.
“We’re here to ask, ‘what’s the plan as the public emergency ends?'” said Kristin Urquiza.
She was with a group called "Marked by COVID".
She lost a parent during the pandemic and since then, she's been advocating for some of the most at risk residents.
The coalition of groups say lifting every COVID emergency declaration will be a major problem for some residents.
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"We need to make sure that we are communicating, as we did at the beginning of the pandemic, what the plan is to ensure that there's no more displacement, no more evictions, and that people can access essential public services,” said Urquiza.
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Among the key protections the group is asking San Francisco to keep in place is eviction protections for those who may be past due on their rent because of COVID-related issues.
They're also asking that San Francisco maintain its call-in remote access program for public comments during board and committee meetings.
They also want the city to impose universal masking requirements at all medical facilities, including places like Walgreens or CVS.
Elissa Metross says everyone should feel safe while they're at a hospital and standing in line to get their prescriptions.
The group delivered a letter to Mayor London Breed's office. She wasn’t there but staff said they would pass it along.
They did briefly talk with Supervisor Rafael Mandelman about their concerns.
He didn’t have a comment for NBC Bay Area, saying he hasn't studied their recommendations yet.
The full board is currently considering Supervisor Mandelman's measure to discontinue remote access to public comments.
They'll vote on that measure during Tuesday's full session.
