California plans to fully reopen its economy on June 15 – the clearest end date for the restrictions that surrounded companies and affected daily life during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The date is not set in stone. And officials emphasize that getting to the point where California can reopen widely for the first time in more than a year will depend on two factors: a sufficient vaccine supply to inoculate all those who are eligible and stable, and a low number of hospitalized people. with the disease.
June 15 will also not bring a complete return to pre-pandemic life. Notably, the California mask mandate will remain in effect for the foreseeable future.
But the authorities expressed confidence that the state, through continuous improvement in its coronavirus metrics and the constant launch of vaccines, is now in a position to start actively planning what will come after COVID-19.
“With more than 20 million vaccines administered across the state, it is time to turn the page on our tier system and start trying to fully reopen the California economy,” Governor Gavin Newsom said in a statement on Tuesday. “Now we can start planning our post-pandemic lives. We will have to remain vigilant and continue the practices that have brought us here – wearing masks and being vaccinated – but the light at the end of this tunnel has never been brighter. “
If all goes as planned, June 15 will see the official end of the current California reopening roadmap, which classifies counties into one of four color-coded layers based on three metrics: coronavirus case rates, adjusted based on the number tests performed; the rate of positive test results; and a health equity metric designed to ensure that the rate of positive testing in poorer communities is not significantly higher than the overall number in the county.
“The entire state will move on to this phase as a whole. This will not be county by county, ”said Dr. Mark Ghaly, California’s secretary of health and human services, in a conference call with reporters.
In a statement, officials said that sectors included in the state’s reopening plan will be allowed to “return to normal operations in accordance with the requirements of Cal / OSHA and with common sense public health policies in place, such as mandatory masking. , testing and vaccinations encouraged. Large-scale internal events, such as conventions, may occur with vaccination testing or verification requirements. ”
Ghaly emphasized that, “if we see any worrying increases in our hospitalizations, we will take the necessary care. But now, we are hopeful about what we are seeing, as we continue to build on the 20 million vaccines already administered. “
A successful statewide reopening in June represents a major political advantage for the governor, who faces a likely recall in the fall.
Newsom’s chances of surviving a recall could have been greater if Californians had resumed some pre-COVID-19 form of life when they voted. Mass vaccination and the return to face-to-face education are essential to this sense of normality.
Newsom was the first governor in the country to issue an order to stay home in the early days of the pandemic last year, an action widely regarded as the right call to protect California’s fragile health system.
The governor did not receive the same praise for the way he handled the reopening.
Health experts said Newsom lifted the restrictions very quickly and did not restore them quickly enough when the number of cases increased, increasing the peak of COVID-19 in summer and winter. Health and Human Services Secretary Ghaly, one of the state’s top health officials, said he would have slowed the pace of change last summer if he could do it all over again.
The lifting of restrictions and the launch of a comprehensive reopening create new risks for Newsom. If the virus reappears or unexpected problems arise, the whip of the governor’s ever-changing rules may be more fresh in the minds of voters, who may blame him in the polls.
Political experts say that the more Californians think about the pandemic in the past, the more likely Newsom is to hold his seat.
The announcement of the planned reopening date came on the same day that California reached its goal of administering 4 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in its most vulnerable communities – a milestone not only in the ongoing struggle to give the precious vaccines of more equitably, but also in the impulse to reopen the state’s economy even before June 15.
Reaching the goal means that the state will reformulate the reopening roadmap to implement new criteria that will allow counties to relax some of the restrictions on business and public spaces more quickly.
The changes will, in effect, apply an orange layer to the Golden State.
The levels described in California’s current reopening strategy range from purple, where coronavirus transmission is considered widespread and internal operations are severely limited or suspended in a wide range of business sectors; for red, with less restrictions; for orange, with even less; and, finally, yellow, in which most companies can open indoors with modifications.
Before Tuesday, counties had to register less than 4.0 new cases per day for 100,000 people to move to the orange layer. With the 4 million dose target now achieved, the requirement has been reduced to less than 6.0.
Moving to the orange layer has significant economic implications.
Counties can allow bars to reopen outdoors with a few modifications, and bars are no longer needed to serve food, either.
Amusement parks can reopen with up to 25% capacity, and fan participation is allowed with 33% capacity for outdoor sports and live performances.
Capacity restrictions can also be lifted in stores, although social distance and other security changes still apply; houses of worship, museums, zoos and aquariums can increase their internal capacity from 25% to 50%; restaurants and cinemas can increase the internal capacity to 50% or 200 people from 25% or 100 people (whichever is less); and indoor gyms and yoga studios can increase capacity from 10% to 25%.
Bowling lanes can be reopened with modifications at 25% capacity. Game rooms and satellite betting sites can also reopen indoors with 25% capacity.
Offices in non-essential sectors may reopen, although the state says workers should still be encouraged to work remotely.
The goal set by the state to administer the first 2 million, then 4 million doses to target communities – that is, those in the lowest quartile of a socio-economic measurement tool called the California Healthy Places Index – was just one aspect of a broader effort aimed at ensuring equal access to COVID-19 vaccines.
California reserved 40% of its COVID-19 vaccine supply last month for residents in these disadvantaged areas, an allocation that state officials said would not only help resolve injustices in implementing inoculation, but would ensure that vaccines were available to those that most pandemic risk.
To date, providers across California have distributed 20.3 million total doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and 34.2% of residents have received at least one injection, according to data from the States’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. United.
Approximately 18.1% of Californians are fully vaccinated at this time, which means that they have received the single dose vaccine from Johnson & Johnson or both the required doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines.
Across the country, 32.4% of Americans received at least one dose and 18.8% are fully vaccinated, CDC data show.
During the early stages of vaccine launch, California restricted access to vaccines to those considered to be at highest risk for coronavirus infection, either because of their age, occupation or underlying health conditions.
This will change from April 15, when anyone aged 16 and over will be able to make reservations.
The state expanded the vaccine’s eligibility last week to include everyone aged 50 and over.
President Biden had initially said that states should make all adults eligible for COVID-19 vaccines by May 1. But he is expected to announce a more aggressive schedule on Tuesday – setting a new deadline for April 19.