With anticipation of California’s reopening building and the scheduled June 15 date on the horizon, Gov. Gavin Newsom revealed he would not lift the current state of emergency when the economic reopening occurs.
“We’re still in a state of emergency,” Newsom said during California’s vaccine lottery Friday morning. “This disease has not been extinguished. It’s not taking the summer months off.”
In April, the state announced it would dismantle its color-coded tier system required for each California county.
Since that announcement, Newsom said that the state would do away with mask mandates on the same day of the reopening, returning to pre-pandemic normalcy.
Once the reopening takes place, everyday activities will return, and businesses can operate as normal.
Even with the reopening, the state mentioned citizens should still be abiding by “common sense” health measures, including social distancing, mask mandates and other safety measures.
However, while the state reopens, Newsom will continue to have additional emergency power regarding decision-making, especially in the case of pandemic-related situations.
Since Newsom issued the state of emergency order on March 4, 2020, he has given numerous executive orders for the state and its citizens to follow.
During April’s announcement, Newsom and state officials noted the reopening is scheduled for June 15, but vaccination numbers, vaccination supplies and COVID-19 variant could affect the guidelines for reopening.
It seems possible that mask mandates may stay in place, given that Newsom says he believes coverings remain an essential part of the arsenal to continue to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
According to Newsom, the state has recorded 38.6 million people confirmed to have received one dosage of the vaccine. Over 70% of the state’s adult population has received a vaccine, which is President Joe Biden’s goal for each state to have by July 4.
“We’re almost two weeks out, or less, of June 15, and we hope to be letting folks know more about our next steps, very shortly,” Newsom said. “We put out some very detailed guidelines across the spectrum, and I hope people will be pleased.”