California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Tuesday that his state is aiming to reopen fully by June 15 as long as vaccinations and public health precautions remain intact.
State officials credited vaccine distribution as the key factor in working toward normalcy, following a year upended by the coronavirus pandemic.
“We can now begin planning for our lives post-pandemic,” Newsom said in a statement. “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.”
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More than 20 million Californians have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and over 7 million have been fully vaccinated. Currently, state residents over the age of 50 are eligible for the vaccine, but availability will open up to anyone over 16 years old beginning on April 15, according to the state website.
Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly commended the progress on mitigating the pandemic but warned that public health precautions like masking have to be considered as more people get vaccinated. A mask mandate for the state will likely remain in place for the near future.
“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,” Ghaly said in a statement.
California has had one of the strictest lockdowns since the start of the pandemic, when it saw hotbeds of early COVID-19 cases in the Bay Area and around Los Angeles.
Newsom was the first governor in the country to implement a stay-at-home order in 2020, and his handling of the pandemic has largely driven a recall effort against him.
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California has had more than 3.5 million COVID-19 cases and nearly 60,000 deaths attributed to the virus.
