On April 6, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced plans to fully reopen California’s economy on June 15 if the state continues the downward trend in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.
MASKS MANDATE TO STAY
The plan is to do away with the color-coded tier system that controls closures and openings county by county. The entire state will enter into this phase at the same time.
“The details of what ‘fully open’ means aren’t quite clear yet,” said Alix Martichoux from ABC News. “The state said ‘everyday activities’ will be allowed to resume and businesses can reopen with ‘common-sense risk reductions measures,’ such as wearing masks.”
Newsom made it clear that the mask mandate will not be lifted anytime soon. He explained that the reason California has been successful in suppressing the virus is because of the number of administered vaccines and mask-wearing.
CONDITIONS FOR REOPENING
Complete reopening of California is possible based on two conditions: a sufficient vaccine supply for Californians 16 years and older who wish to be vaccinated and stable and low hospitalization rates. However, the state voiced they reserve the right to move the June 15 date if necessary.
According to California’s COVID-19 data tracker, 19,894,855 vaccines have been administered out of the 24,530,300 delivered to California. Over 7 million—23% of the population aged 16 and older—are considered fully vaccinated. At least 42% of the population over the age of 16 have been inoculated with at least one dose.
