The opening of California is tentatively scheduled for June 15, with roles: NPR

California could lift most of the restrictions on COVID-19 by June 15 if the vaccine supply is sufficient and the number of hospitalizations is low, Governor Gavin Newsom announced on Tuesday.

Newsom said the state would abolish its system of risk levels and restrictions, known as the Draft for a Safer Economy, dependent on those public health indicators, with its mask mandate and other “common sense measures” in place.

“We see a bright light at the end of the tunnel,” Newsom told a news conference. “And on June 15, under the same conditions and continuing with good work, we have moved beyond that plan and will open this economy in the usual way.”

He stressed that Californians should remain vigilant, especially given the relatively high number of cases of coronavirus variants recorded in the state. But he said California could soon be ready to take another step in recovering from the pandemic, citing lower hospitalizations and an expected increase in the availability of vaccines provided by the federal government.

According to Newsom, the state crossed two important thresholds on the day of publication: It gave 20 million doses, including 4 million under its health equality metrics.

He said officials are designing a system that will be able to deliver about 5.8 million doses on a weekly basis, more than twice the capacity of the approximately 2.5 million it received from the federal government last week. That number is expected to increase, and Newsom predicts more than 30 million doses will be administered by the end of the month.

Acceptability for the vaccine is also growing. People aged 50 and over became eligible for the vaccine on April 1, and will be joined by those aged 16, starting April 15. The state has administered over 7 million more doses than any other U.S. state, Newsom said.

“With more than 20 million vaccines administered nationwide, it’s time to turn the page about our level and start striving to fully open up the California economy,” he told Newsom. “Now we can start planning our lives after the pandemic.”

The state will continue to search and test contacts, and requests for vaccination testing or verification will remain in certain settings, he said in the news. let go. He warned that the framework plan is subject to vaccine supply and hospitalization rates, adding that officials would monitor those metrics “with the possibility of re-examining” the target date if necessary, although he did not specify any number.

Dr. Mark Ghaly, California Secretary of Health and Human Services, said officers will pay close attention not only to the number of hospitalizations, but to who exactly is being admitted and how many patients have already been vaccinated.

Although the number of hospitalizations nationwide is low – with 20 patients currently hospitalized with COVID-19 in San Francisco, for example – Ghaly said there is a race between vaccines and variants and urged the public to take public health measures like wearing a mask and reporting for the vaccine once you meet the conditions.

California Public Health department he said the 7-day positive rate across the state as of Monday was 1.6%. As a draft latest update on Tuesday, most state districts were at a “significant” and “moderate” level of risk, with two classified as “widespread” and two as “minimal”.

U memo outlining the transition, public health officials said business sectors would be able to return to normal operations with “limited” public health restrictions.

If the status of testing or vaccination for all present is not confirmed, congresses will be limited to 5,000 people by October 1, and participants in international conventions will only be allowed if they are fully vaccinated.

Schools and higher education institutions should conduct full-time personal instruction in accordance with state and federal health guidelines, the memorandum added. Newsom said students were expected to return to personal learning, but he stopped calling it a condition.

Californians and visitors will be subject to state and federal travel restrictions, which they also have slightly relented in recent days, though unimportant travel is still discouraged.

The updated April 1 state travel advisory no longer includes a recommendation that Californians not travel more than 120 miles from their place of residence, although it continues to discourage irrelevant travel outside the state.

The announcement comes when the governor faces political pressure over a recall effort he rejected last month partisan and republican. Newsom critics have challenged his handling of the pandemic and business constraints, exacerbating housing and homelessness and high taxes, such as CapRadio reports.

It is one of several such attempts to be made since Newsom was re-elected in 2018, and it would be the first governor’s recall in California in nearly two decades. Organizers said they had collected enough signatures to hold special elections by mid-March, and county election officials have until the end of the month to confirm them.