SAN FRANCISCO, March 2 (Xinhua) -- U.S. San Francisco Mayor London Breed on Tuesday announced that the city will resume most businesses and activities that are allowed by the state of California, following its assignment by the state to the red tier based on COVID-19 case and hospitalization rates.

With some exceptions, San Francisco's reopening will align with what is permitted by the state. New and expanded businesses and activities can reopen starting Wednesday, as long as they comply with required safety protocols, the announcement said.

As of March 2, San Francisco has met the criteria based on its COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and other health metrics, to advance from the purple tier to the less restrictive red tier on the State's Blueprint for a Safer Economy.

This action allows San Francisco to reopen and expand some indoor activities such as dining, museums, movie theaters, and fitness on a limited basis.

It also reopens additional outdoor recreation options and increases the types of outdoor sports that both adults and youth may pursue.

"Thanks to everyone in our city acting responsibly and doing their part, we can take another step towards reopening and beginning our recovery," said Breed. "To make sure we can keep moving forward, we all need to stay focused and continue to follow the health guidance."

With some exceptions, San Francisco is reopening in alignment with the activities allowed by the state. Additionally, San Francisco will lift its local nighttime hours limit for all activities except indoor dining, meaning that non-essential businesses and gatherings, such as outdoor dining, can continue past 10:00 p.m.

With the move into the red tier, middle schools and high schools that had not yet opened can resume opening with a COVID-19 safety plan approved by the San Francisco Health Officer.

Based on San Francisco's health indicators and its health equity metric, San Francisco meets the state's criteria for advancing to the red tier. San Francisco's new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations have decreased steadily since the holiday surge that peaked in early January. At this time, San Francisco is averaging 67 new cases a day, which is comparable to where the city was in mid-November before the surge, according to the announcement.

At this time, more than 20 percent of San Francisco's population has received the first dose of vaccine, as have almost 65 percent of the city's residents over 65 years old.