California plans to fully reopen its economy by mid-June, Gov. Gavin Newsom said on Tuesday.
The state could end its four-tier system for reopening on June 15, Newsom said, provided two conditions are met, namely that there are enough vaccines for residents aged 16 and over. who wish to be vaccinated and that coronavirus hospitalization rates are stable and low. .
Abandoning the tiered system would allow all areas of the most populous US state to resume their usual activities, but with “common sense public health policies in place,” the governor’s office said in a statement. communicated.
“We can now start planning our lives after the pandemic. We will have to remain vigilant and continue the practices that brought us here – wearing masks and getting vaccinated – but the light at the end of this tunnel has never been brighter, ”said the governor.
When asked if he would consider ending the state’s requirement for face masks, Newsom said: “We don’t have any plans, in the short term, to lift this mandate.
California has become one of the hotspots for the coronavirus in a winter push that swept through the United States. Due to record infection rates and dwindling hospital resources, more than 90% of the state’s nearly 40 million people were placed on stay-at-home orders as their counties entered the level. most restrictive “purple” of the reopening system.
Pandemic measures have improved since then and many areas of the state, including the most populous Los Angeles County, have managed to move to less restrictive levels. This allowed them to reopen non-essential businesses and theme parks and organize sporting events.
Over the past week, California averaged about 46 new infections per 100,000 people per day, one of the five lowest per capita case rates in the United States, according to data from the Centers. for Disease Control and Prevention.
Public health authorities have confirmed 873 cases of B.1.1.7, the variant of the coronavirus which was first identified in the UK, California. It is the fifth largest state of all the states, behind Florida, Michigan, Minnesota and Colorado.