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California finalized plans for its full economic reopening next week, beginning the process of eliminating more than a year of pandemic restrictions and emergency measures as efforts continue to convince skeptics and hesitants to get vaccinated.
Starting Tuesday, the state will remove most remaining restrictions on businesses and significantly relax mask-wearing rules for those who are vaccinated — two important efforts made possible thanks to the ongoing decline of COVID-19.
Officials said Friday that Governor Gavin Newsom will also begin to rescind dozens of emergency measures he imposed by executive order in response to the pandemic, a process that will continue over several months.
The double whammy of reopening and loosening the rules wouldn’t have been possible “without your hard work, your flexibility, and the incredible efforts you’ve all put in over the past year,” according to Newsom.
“I want to thank the 40 million Californians for what you have endured, the stress and anxiety, the fear that so many people have been feeling,” he said during a Friday news briefing. “It was a very difficult time for everyone, and I am very encouraged that we got where we are.”
California is now on the cusp of returning to normal since the pandemic began.
Capacity restrictions related to the coronavirus and physical distancing requirements will be lifted at nearly all businesses and other organizations starting Tuesday.
The color-coded caste system that kept counties on pins and needles for months while they waited for word on how large-scale activities could resume is gone. Businesses that have operated for a long time at less than full capacity will be able to open their doors.
Californians who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 will be able to ditch their face masks in most non-work situations.
But while the swing restrictions have dominated the headlines, Newsom’s executive actions have also had a sweeping impact on the lives of Californians, albeit in ways that weren’t always obvious.
Newsom has issued 58 executive orders since the beginning of March 2020, when he declared a state of emergency due to the outbreak.
They have allowed local governments to meet and hold hearings electronically, suspended state law requiring those meetings to be physically open to the public, and introduced extensions to businesses that file state and school district taxes required to continue paying teachers and staff even if universities are closed and students are in distance learning .
It also prevented water agencies from cutting service to customers for not paying their bills, allowed video marriages to take place, and provided liability protections for health care workers administering COVID-19 vaccines.
Ann Patterson, Newsom’s secretary of legal affairs, said the administration was evaluating provisions to determine which ones should continue and which could be terminated.
Many of Newsom’s executive orders contain multiple provisions that affect a variety of state agencies and services. Dozens of these have already expired or been replaced by legislative action. But most of them remain.
Most will be rescinded by Newsom on June 30, including the waiver of licensing to California manufacturers producing goods essential to the pandemic response. Others, such as an exemption allowing government meetings to be held online, will remain in place until September 30.
The official Newsom state of emergency declared on March 4 in response to the pandemic will remain in place. This announcement became the basis for nearly fifteen executive orders issued by Newsom over the intervening months.
Emergencies are frequently used in response to wildfires or natural disasters and are one tool that ensures rapid access to resources and cash, including disaster funds provided by the federal government, as well as long-term recovery efforts.
“Disaster response and recovery is not linear,” said Alex Ball, senior advisor to the governor’s office of emergency services. “There are often persistent, long-term effects that require the emergency to remain in place.”
Some of Newsom’s emergency measures will continue for an indefinite period of time, including a provision allowing some pharmacy workers to administer vaccines.
While California’s reopening journey has been rocky to say the least — two previous attempts in the spring and fall were eventually abandoned after similar increases in infections, hospitalizations and deaths — officials and many health experts are confident the state can avoid a similar fate this time around. .
Several months ago, California recorded one of the lowest rates of coronavirus cases in the country, and now has a relatively strong level of vaccine coverage.
Nearly 40 million COVID-19 vaccines have been administered statewide, and 68.5% of eligible Californians — ages 12 or older — have received at least one dose, according to data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
However, this coverage is not uniform across the state, and officials note that areas or communities that are less immunized will still be more vulnerable to outbreaks.
“We would like all Californians to make this choice to get vaccinated, but we are also realistic about a number of people who are not interested. They do not see that it is the way for them.”
“We have made a tremendous amount of effort, with great success, to attract people who might have stayed on the sidelines longer had they not been given the personal attention: answer their questions, knock on their door, make it comfortable and easy.”
Among the state’s most visible efforts is its recently launched COVID-19 vaccine sweepstakes — the most recent winners were chosen Friday through a random drawing.
Finally, 30 Californians were selected to win $50,000 each as part of the Vax for the Win program. Tuesday’s drawing will culminate in the selection of 10 grand prize winners, each of whom will receive $1.5 million.
“That includes you or it doesn’t,” Newsom said. “You will make that decision yourself. I would strongly encourage, if you are on the fence, to get out and vaccinate before Tuesday.”
Any California resident who gets at least one dose of the vaccine is automatically entered for a chance at the cash prizes – although the money won’t be paid out until after the winner completes their vaccination series.
Officials said the goal of the stimulus program is simple: to win as many strongholds as possible and push the state closer to the level of herd immunity necessary to finally defeat the COVID-19 pandemic.
Officials say vaccinating a broad segment of the population will help arm California against any potential new increases.
“This disease does not turn itself off,” Newsom said. “We have work to do to raise these vaccination rates, and we have ongoing work to do to make sure it is done in an equitable manner.”
Not all restrictions will go away on Tuesday. Those who are not fully vaccinated will still need to keep their masks at businesses and other public places indoors. And everyone, regardless of vaccination status, will have to disguise themselves while in transit hubs or on board public transport; in healthcare settings and long-term care facilities; indoors at K-12 schools, child care facilities, or other youth settings; in homeless shelters, emergency shelters and cooling centers; and in correctional institutions and detention centres.
Organizers of indoor events of more than 5,000 people, such as a basketball game, will also be required to verify that attendees have either been fully vaccinated or have tested negative within 72 hours of the event starting time.
The same would be recommended, but not required, for organizers of outdoor events of more than 10,000 people. In these cases, venues will have the option to allow unvaccinated and untested attendees, provided those people wear a mask at all times.
Workplaces will also remain subject to any relevant rules set by the California Department of Occupational Safety and Health, or Cal/OSHA.
And as Ghali emphasized on Friday, “a lot of things change,” coming June 15, “but not our vigil.”
“June 15 to me means a big pat on the back for a lot of Californians to make sacrifices, you know, rolling with punches on something we’ve never seen before, at least in our lifetimes,” he said.
Times staff writer Rong-Gong Lin II contributed to this report.
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