California lifts coronavirus restrictions
Masks and social distancing no longer required in most places across the state
LOS ANGELES, Calif. (CBS News/KYMA, KECY) - Marking a milestone, California Tuesday lifted the vast majority of its coronavirus restrictions for the first time since the pandemic took hold 15 months ago. Beginning at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, the state ended the stay-at-home order and its four-tier, color-coded roadmap of restrictions on economic activity and public gatherings that was based on county coronavirus case rates and testing-positivity rates.
Calfornia Governor Gavin Newsom visited Universal Studios Hollywood to mark the state's reopening today (6/15/21.)
The new guidelines will remove the need for masks, social distancing, and capacity restrictions in just about all settings.
"It's a bit of the honor system, we're still encouraging people that are unvaccinated to still be mindful of others mixing social distancing, as well as the importance of wearing face coverings, particularly in large events. If you've been vaccinated, we are aligning with the CDC guidelines. But the bottom line at the end of the day is we've got to trust people to do the right thing. And to be honest, in terms of their self-attestation, we're not requiring passports in the state of California. We're not requiring or mandating, but we are encouraging people, private businesses, to do what they think is best for them," said Gov Newsom.
To celebrate this occasion and reward those who stepped up by getting vaccinated, Governor Newsom drew 10 lucky winners who will receive $1.5 million each, for a total of $15 million, as part of the final cash prize drawing in the state’s $116.5 million Vax for the Win program – the largest vaccine incentive program in the nation.
Since Vax for the Win launched, the Governor's office says roughly 2 million vaccine doses have been reported, including over 838,000 Californians newly starting their vaccination process. In total, California has administered nearly 40 million vaccine doses and more than 70 percent of the adult population has received at least one dose.
