We are finally getting back to normal next Tuesday. Mostly. Sort of. Certain mask requirements will stay in place on June 15, 2021. Importantly, the emergency is not over and all of the emergency orders issued in the last year stay in place for another few months.
It also means public health officials and the governor can reinstate any restrictions they want or impose new restrictions they want and can do so anytime they want.
The good news portion of changes on June 15 is the four level color-coded system is gone. No more of the purple, red, orange, and yellow grading based on arbitrary numerical targets (which as we have seen the state can unilaterally shift as desired). The stay-at-home orders will officially end.
Best part of the good news is the capacity limits and physical distancing requirements are gone.
Now on to the remaining and new restrictions.
Restrictions on live outdoor events are in place for those activities with over 10,000 people. The state recommendation is that for those events there be some sort of a verification of either vaccination status or a recent negative test. Those who cannot show either will be recommended to wear a mask.
Requirements exist for indoor events of over 5,000 people. Those events are required to check for vaccination status and people who don’t prove either a vaccination or a negative test cannot enter the event. This will push the operators to self-develop some sort of vaccination passport protocol.
Outdoor events under 10,000 people won’t have that recommendation and indoor events under 5,000 people won’t have that requirement.
The bad news is the emergency has not been ended as mentioned earlier. This leaves us vulnerable to new restrictions at any time. The governor has warned us that if we don’t get our vaccinations or be careful with the masks or if case rates go up he will roll out new restrictions.
More bad news is there are new mask requirements going to affect on Tuesday. Vaccinated people won’t be required to wear masks outdoors or indoors. People who have not been vaccinated will still need to wear masks in any public space.
There is no indication how this could possibly be enforced.
Masks will still be required in places such as hospitals, public transport, homeless shelters, and nursing homes.
County health agencies are still allowed to impose restrictions if they feel like it.
Businesses are still allowed to impose their own capacity limits or mask requirements.
Some articles for more reading:
- 6/11/21 – Fox News – California Gov. Newsom signed order to in most of the state’s coronavirus restrictions, reopened Tuesday.
- 6/11/21 – Associated Press via KTLA 5 – Gov. Newsom signed orders to rollback coronavirus restrictions, finally ending stay-at-home order.
- 6/4/21 – KTLA 5 – “This disease is not been extinguished”: Newsom says he won’t lift Covid state of emergency when most restrictions and June 15.
- 4/6/21 – CNBC – California plans to lift most Covid restrictions June 15, keep mask mandate.
- 5/21/21 – ABC 7 – California to remove all capacity limits, physical distancing requirement starting June 15.
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