California on track to reopen

The first state to impose a COVID-19 shutdown order is getting ready to lift most restrictions. California health director Dr. Mark Ghaly on Friday said the state will stop requiring social distancing and capacity limits for businesses on June 15. He cited sharply declining new COVID-19 infections and climbing vaccination numbers.

What restrictions will stay in place? Ghaly said there will be “some masking” in line with national guidelines. The state will require attendees at indoor events with more than 5,000 people to assert they have been vaccinated and recommend it for outdoor events over 10,000, but he said that could be by “self-attestation” with more details forthcoming. State officials don’t have plans for any vaccine passports or formal verification. Since March 2020, California has recorded 63,000 virus deaths. Now, on some days, new case reports stop short of 1,000, and just more than 1,300 people are in California hospitals with COVID-19.

Dig deeper: Read a Q&A with Charles Horton on what getting back to normal may look like after the pandemic.