A glimmer of hope on the COVID front.
California will fully reopen its economy June 15 as long as it has a sufficient supply of vaccines and hospitalizations are low, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday.
One caveat: Californians will still need to wear masks and will still be encouraged to get vaccinated after that date, but the state plans to end its colour-coded tier system that has governed county-by-county reopening for several months. Newsom says he expects all California students will be able to return to classrooms by June 15.
Newsom made the announcement the same day California reached an immunization milestone: administering more than 20 million vaccine doses, including four million in the state’s most disadvantaged neighborhoods.
The news comes more than a year after Newsom first ordered residents to stay at home, making California the first state to shut down its economy because of the pandemic on March 19, 2020. Since then, the coronavirus has killed more than 58,000 Californians.
"It is time to turn the page on our tier system and begin looking to fully reopen California’s economy," Newsom said. "We can now begin planning for our lives post-pandemic. We will need to remain vigilant, and continue the practices that got us here – wearing masks and getting vaccinated – but the light at the end of this tunnel has never been brighter."
