Open Season
Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica, Calif. illuminated on May 18, 2021. Kevin Tidmore | The Corsair
As the number of vaccinated Californians rises and the number of COVID-19 cases continues to decline, California remains on a slow but steady pace toward reopening. Despite the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) guidance that allows for fully vaccinated people to enter public indoor areas unmasked, Governor Gavin Newsom announced that the state's mask mandate will remain through June 15. With a majority of the state’s counties being in the orange tier, the state has hopes to reopen on June 15.
The tier list includes purple, or widespread, which means many non-essential indoor businesses are closed; red, or substantial, which means some non-essential indoor businesses are closed; orange, or moderate, which means some indoor businesses are open with modifications; as well as yellow, or minimal, which means many indoor businesses are open with modifications. The tiers are based on positivity rates, adjusted case rates, and health equity metrics.
As of May 12, everyone in California who is 12 and over is eligible to be vaccinated. California state officials have estimated that there should be up to 1.7 million doses administered a week at this point in time.
According to Dr. Mark Ghaly, Secretary of the California Health and Human Services, officials chose June 15 as the date for reopening because it comes exactly two months after the vaccine became available to everyone 16 and older. He added that officials wanted to ensure that residents have ample time to get vaccinated, in a press conference early April.
Americans are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving the second dose of Pfizer or Moderna, or the single Johnson & Johnson shot according to the CDC. As of May 16, over 35 million doses of the vaccine were distributed, and 53.1% of Californians received at least one dose, with 38.4% being fully vaccinated, according to the California Department of Health.
Even with people receiving the vaccine, Newsom still wants Californians to wear their masks to prevent a rise in cases as everything begins reopening.
“In order to take the next step, we must continue to do our part to keep this momentum moving in the right direction, and that means continuing to wear a mask and ensuring everyone who is eligible gets the vaccine,” said Ghaly.
Businesses like restaurants, movie theaters, and amusement parks will have a chance to benefit from the state's reopening since they were heavily affected by the closures. "I'm extremely excited to be able to have fun again this summer with my friends," said Henry Shapiro, a student at California State University Northridge. "I feel like the reopening comes at a perfect time with everyone getting out of school... and all the businesses should see a huge boost."
The plan to reopen on June 15 could possibly change, according to Newsom, as he stated that if cases don’t continue the downward trend, he will bring back preventative measures.
