SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – California plans to lift most coronavirus restrictions on businesses and workplaces on June 15, with officials saying enough people should be vaccinated by then to bring life back to a pre-pandemic normal return.
The masked mandate in the country with the most populations in the country will remain in force, Govin Newsom said on Tuesday, warning that California will only reopen wider in mid-June if vaccine supplies are adequate and the hospitalization rate remains stable and low.
The Democratic governor, who oversaw the most restrictive pandemic rules in the country, nevertheless said it was time to move on, with so far 20 million vaccines administered in California. The announcement marks an end date for more than a year of isolation, after California resisted reopening too quickly, even as other states progressed.
“We can say with confidence by June 15 that we can start doing business as usual, subject to continuous mask wear and constant vigilance,” Newsom said. “It’s a big day.”
The announcement comes because states in the country have lifted health restrictions as more people are vaccinated. California has had some of the strictest pandemic rules in the country, and last spring became the first to place a nationwide home order and in August adopted a complex, color-coded system that determines which businesses can open and with what capacity depending on how widespread the virus was in a country.
Newsom said it expects 30 million doses to be administered by the end of April, which will put it on track to vaccinate many of the estimated 32 million people eligible for the vaccine.
The pandemic took its toll in California, with more than 58,000 people killed, businesses closed and students who were out of the classrooms for much of the year. Newsom, who is campaigning for the resumption of personal tutoring, said he does not expect any obstacles to get students back into the classroom safely on June 15, including university students.
Under the plan, businesses could embark on ‘common sense reduction measures’, including the obligation to mask and encourage vaccinations. The state will continue contact detection and testing.
Most capacity restrictions will be lifted, although large-scale indoor events, such as events, will only be allowed with the test or vaccination requirements, said dr. Mark Ghaly, the secretary of health and human services, said.
Eligible for vaccination from April 15 to people in California 16 and older, although some counties have already begun vaccinating young adults.
The two-month notice should give people enough time to plan their first dose, wait the recommended three to four weeks for a second shot and get the two-week period before the vaccines can start in full, he said.
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Taxin reported from Orange County. Associated Press author Kathleen Ronayne contributed from Sacramento, California.