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Good news for the Golden State, we may be back in business full-time by summer. Governor Gavin Newsom said yesterday that with vaccines happening at the rate they are, most businesses and arena/convention halls would be able to open with restrictions by June 15th. However, Gov Newsom learned his lesson about opening too soon from our last reopening and has cautioned Californians that the mask mandate will remain in place and all virus precautions will be promoted to reduce a risk of another surge.

California has set a date to roll back the majority of its COVID-19 restrictions.

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday that the state aims to lift most pandemic restrictions by June 15 — including capacity limits and other specific reopening requirements for businesses — with the exception of the statewide mask mandate.

“With more than 20 million vaccines administered across the state, it is time to turn the page on our tier system and begin looking to fully reopen California’s economy,” Newsom said in a statement. “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.”

The state’s current reopening guidelines are tied to each county’s metrics for COVID-19 vaccinations, hospitalizations, and daily case counts. As vaccinations increase and cases get lower, counties are able to individually loosen restrictions on businesses.

But Newsom said Tuesday that, come June 15, the entire state will to move into the more expansive reopening phase as a whole.

Schools will be expected to resume in-person instruction, and non-essential workplaces can welcome employees back as long as they “promote policies that reduce risk.”

Larger-scale events will also be permitted, though the state says that conventions will be capped at 5,000 attendees through Oct. 1, unless testing or vaccination is verified for all.

[From People]

Kaiser mentioned the California recall to get rid of Newsom. Although there is a foundation of good old fashion partisan politics to it, the loudest talking point for the recallers is about reopening the state. Remember that when the outbreak started, California and Newsom were heralded for the swift response and our numbers were so good, we were the first to bend the curve. But when we reopened, the resulting surge was devastating. Some of that had to do with an overly ambitious reopening, but a lot had to do with people not adhering to the guidelines put out with the reopening. So when Newsom reclosed the state, he kept it closed. A lot of people think this announcement and the vaccine push are in response to the recall. It’s not. Newsom would love to throw every door open, especially the schools. But he has hard numbers showing that the state couldn’t handle a soft opening. We were in perilous conditions in December and January. The state’s strict tier system saved lives, and that’s been documented.

Vaccines have become much more available, thank goodness. I didn’t think I would get mine until June, but I have my first appointment at the end of this month. One of my kids is eligible next week and the other may be eligible for the new Pfizer before she returns to school in the fall. I knew we would get vaccinated here, but I had no idea when. The state being locked down for as long as it was was hard on everyone, absolutely. But honestly, a lot of Californians owe their lives or the lives of their loved ones to the measures Newsom took. The fact that were reopening in June is great news because it means we are safe to do so.

Vaccines are great and they work, but we don’t know everything about them yet. Despite what loon balls running through Target are chanting, we know masks work, so it’s just plain common sense to keep mask mandates until we know for sure we are safe out there. Despite every study that confirms this, 10 states have lifted their mandates. You can see who did and did not keep their mandate in place here. Remember, just because your state government doesn’t care about your health doesn’t mean you don’t have to – keep your mask on, socially distance, wash your hands and stay safe out there.

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