As California Fully Reopens, Governor Newsom Announces Plans to Lift Pandemic Executive Orders

Governor to lift Stay-at-Home Order and retire county tier system on June 15 as the state fully reopens

SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today took action to lift pandemic executive orders as the state moves Beyond the Blueprint next week to fully, safely reopen. That includes terminating the Stay-at-Home Order that was implemented early in the pandemic to protect Californians and retiring the Blueprint for a Safer Economy. Effective June 15, restrictions such as physical distancing, capacity limits and the county tier system will end.

The Governor is also continuing the wind down of executive actions put in place since March 2020 to help facilitate a coordinated response to the pandemic and ensure the state could quickly and efficiently respond to the impacts of the pandemic. A subset of provisions that facilitate the ongoing recovery – such as the provision allowing pharmacy technicians to administer vaccinations as the state continues to vaccinate millions of eligible Californians every week – will remain in place. 

“California is turning the page on this pandemic, thanks to swift action by the state and the work of Californians who followed public health guidelines and got vaccinated to protect themselves and their communities,” said Governor Newsom. “With nearly 40 million vaccines administered and among the lowest case rates in the nation, we are lifting the orders that impact Californians on a day-to-day basis while remaining vigilant to protect public health and safety as the pandemic persists.”

The state’s decisive and early action through the Stay-at-Home Order directing Californians to limit their interactions with people from other households and the Blueprint criteria guiding the tightening and loosening of allowable activities based on the level of community transmission helped slow the spread of the virus, saving lives and protecting the state’s health care delivery system from being overwhelmed. With nearly 40 million vaccines administered and among the lowest case rates in the country, California is entering a new phase, lifting these restrictions to fully reopen on June 15.

The Governor’s Office today established a timeline and process to continue winding down the various provisions of the 58 COVID-related executive orders, which suspended statutes and regulations to help the state and businesses continue operations during the pandemic. To ensure that impacted individuals and entities have time to prepare for the changes, the provisions will sunset in phases, beginning later this month, in July and in September. For example, the suspension of certain licensing requirements for manufacturers to produce hand sanitizer will end on June 30, as shortages are no longer a concern. By the end of September, nearly 90 percent of the executive actions taken since March 2020 will have been lifted.

Today the California Department of Public Health released a new state public health officer order that goes into effect on June 15. The order replaces the previous pandemic public health orders with limited requirements related to face coverings and mega events, as well as settings with children and youth pending an expected update later this month to the K-12 school guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The action supports the full and safe reopening of the state, while maintaining focused public health requirements that address the risk posed by variants as some regions across the nation and world continue to experience high levels of transmission.

A copy of the order terminating the Stay-at-Home Order and the Blueprint for a Safer Economy can be found here. A copy of the order rolling back additional pandemic order provisions can be found here. 

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