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Aug. 26, 9:15 a.m. Vice President Kamala Harris is heading to California on Friday to galvanize support for Gov. Gavin Newsom as the Sept. 14 recall election intensifies.

But, already, the COVID-19 restrictions for the Harris and Newsom car rally, scheduled for Friday at 1 p.m. in the parking lot of Daly City’s famed Cow Palace, have raised some eyebrows.

First surfaced by San Francisco journalist Teddy Schleifer, who called the guidelines “pretty cautious,” the rally’s fine print regarding “security and health protocols” goes beyond guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the California Department of Public Health and the San Mateo County Health Department.

The event calls for a negative COVID-19 test or proof of vaccination, which is pretty standard practice for most large California events like music festivals and sports matches. (Though the California Department of Public Health only requires this for indoor events, so far.)

But the rally is already a drive-in one, and most attendants will be split up from each other unless, say, people from multiple households carpool. 

Newsom and Harris are also requiring that all attendees bring a mask. It is not quite clear whether masks must be worn inside attendees’ respective vehicles or they’re only required on the off chance that an attendee steps out for a bathroom or leg-stretching break.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advise wearing masks for “crowded outdoor settings” — but only in areas with high rates of COVID-19. Neither the California Department of Public Health nor the San Mateo County Health Department mandate masks outdoors.

President Joe Biden held plenty of car rallies while campaigning in 2020, and even held one to commemorate his first 100 days in office. While he wore a mask at that event, attendees didn’t have to. The campaign rallies were held before COVID-19 vaccines became available and did not require negative tests for attendees.

The rally begins at 1 p.m., but the lot opens up at 11 a.m. — and the event page advises arriving early.

SFGATE California issues editor Eric Ting contributed to this report.