CA Eyes June 15th 2021 As Date To Say Adios To Color-Coded Tier Covid-19 System

California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr Mark Ghaly will lift all Covid-19 restrictions on businesses on June 15th 2021.

 

All restrictions will be lifted on recreational activities and on public gatherings.

 

However, California’s statewide face mask mandate will continue with no end date set.

 

But that June 15th 2021 date is based on people continuing to get vaccinated and vaccine doses being available.

 

It also is contingent on no new spikes in Covid-19 hospitalizations.

 

If all goes as forecast, the State of California will end its 4-color Tier ranking system which it calls a Blueprint For A Safer Economy.

 

But the June 15th date was not based solely on science or data.

 

California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly says the June 15th date was chosen simply because it is two months after the April 15th date when COVID-19 vaccines are made available to all Californians aged 16 and over.

 

Ghaly is keeping his eyes peeled on Covid case numbers and hospitalizations around the state.

 

“With all of that, we are at the stage where we’re ready to consider the next aspect of our pandemic response,” Ghaly said. “The road to this moment hasn’t been easy. We have come together as Californians to save thousands of lives. And now we look at what is beyond that Blueprint for a Safer Economy that has been guiding California’s slow, public-health-minded

transition and opening of our economy. … We look to get to that end of the blueprint.”

No matter what color tier your county is in, come June 15th, the entire state of California will see an end to the color-coded system.

 

Maybe.

 

He notes that the June 15 date could possibly be adjusted if the state starts seeing increases in Covid19 hospitalizations or if the vaccine supply runs out.

 

“We want to emphasize that we continue to focus over these now 10 weeks from today, a period where we continue to push out vaccinations and continue to focus on those personal protective measures, those mitigating measures — wearing our masks in settings, especially indoors, when we’re in crowds,” Ghaly said.

 

The announcement comes on a day the state crossed the 20 million

threshold for the number of vaccinations administered. The state also reached the 4 million mark of vaccinations in lower-income communities that have been hard hit by the pandemic. Reaching that 4 million threshold will allow multiple counties, including San Diego and Riverside, to immediately advance to the less-

restrictive orange tier of the state’s economic blueprint.

 

“We will only keep moving toward this June 15 date, not only by

emphasizing vaccines, but also by emphasizing the ongoing work of Californians,” Ghaly said. “This really continues to be on our shoulders to make the responsible decision to keep our masks on, to avoid crowds and other settings where we still might encounter COVID. But as we move toward that date on June 15, we look forward to this two-month period not just to keep our focus

on vaccines, but to give our partners in communities, in businesses and other sectors a chance to prepare to be ready for this post-blueprint era in California.”

 

State of California color coded tiered Covid-19 ranking system chart.

Photo from State of CA Health and Human Services Dept