Downtown San Francisco is reeling. More remote work could add to the pain
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Downtown San Francisco feels like a tomb.
Once-crammed streets are desolate, with only the whoosh of automobile traffic stirring the air. Muni buses and BART trains run nearly empty. Storefronts are boarded up or vacant, from the 172-year-old Tadich Grill to the shells of trendy juice shops and fitness clubs. Almost all offices have been closed for 11 months, with no return date set. The patter of rain in recent days has made the mood even bleaker.
The pain could last beyond the pandemic.
The prospect of workers returning soon after shelter-in-place lifts, after vaccines roll out, after schools reopen has receded, and nonessential workers remain banned from offices. Remote work, made necessary by the health crisis, is becoming a permanent policy at many of the city’s biggest employers. Once tech’s rising capital, downtown San Francisco may never return to its frenetic, bustling