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Governor Gavin Newsom announced California’s plan to fully reopen its economy by June 15 alongside Mayor London Breed in San Francisco Tuesday.
“We can confidently say by June 15th that we can start to open up as business as usual subject to ongoing mask-wearing and ongoing vigilance,” Newsom said during Tuesday’s press conference.
On June 15, California will fully open its economy if two criteria are met:
- If vaccine supply is sufficient for Californians 16 years and older who wish to be inoculated; and
- If hospitalization rates are stable and low
California administered 20 million COVID-19 vaccines and has the lowest positivity rate across the country with a 1.6% positivity rate statewide. After being on the blueprint for 31 weeks, Newsom said California will be “moving past the dimmer switch [and] getting rid of the blueprint as we know it.”
The state will continue contact tracing and testing to detect cases early and contain the spread of the virus. The entire state will move into this new phase as a whole. A statement from the governor explained The state will monitor hospitalization rates, vaccine access, and vaccine efficacy against variants, with the option to revisit the June 15 date if needed.
“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.” Newsom said in a statement.
Before ending the conference Newsom reminded everyone, “This disease continues to be deadly, not only here in this state, [but] across the country.”
Watch the full press conference here.
