To our members: 

Downtown seems to be back to pre-pandemic levels after 5 p.m. and on the weekends, but the streets are still quiet during the work week.  Will office workers ever return?  According to Downtown Digest, a publication of the Downtown Development Center, the majority of knowledge workers say that working from home is the new normal.  One study showed that workers who reported to work from home 15 percent of the time before the pandemic, now report to be working from home 60 percent of the time and intend to maintain that life balance for the foreseeable future.  

On the plus side, people who work from home say they are more likely to go out at night and on the weekends, and consider downtown to be the place to go for concerts, sporting events, museums, and performing arts.  The shift in downtown usage patterns around the country seems to be holding true here in San Jose, and we will continue to monitor the situation.  If you have thoughts to share on this or other topics related to downtown San Jose, please drop me, Nanci Williams, Interim Communications Director, a note at nwilliams@sjdowntown.com.

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BART Reinstates Mask Mandate on Trains and Platforms
BART riders and employees are required to wear masks on trains and at station platforms until July 18 under a new mandate approved by the agency’s Board of Directors this morning.  It’s unclear how the Board landed on the July 18 expiration date.

Today’s BART decision is notable because it’s the first example of a transit agency in California instituting a mask mandate without a public-health order.