Full reopening by June 15 if all goes well


SAFETY NET—The Moderna vaccine is prepared at an April 3 clinic for Las Virgenes school employees. MICHAEL COONS/Acorn Newspapers

SAFETY NET—The Moderna vaccine is prepared at an April 3 clinic for Las Virgenes school employees. MICHAEL COONS/Acorn Newspapers

The vaccines are taking effect, virus cases are down, and the most optimistic COVID-19 forecast in over a year was delivered Tuesday in Sacramento by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The governor announced the next step in California’s struggle against the pandemic, taking the state beyond its color-coded blueprint model for recovery and suggesting all counties could complete their reopening by June 15 if certain criteria are met. The vaccine supply must remain sufficient for all residents 16 and older, and hospitalization rates must continue to stay low, the governor said.

When areas reopen in mid-June, the purple, red, orange and yellow-tiered Blueprint for a Safer Economy that has been in effect since last August will end, as will county-by-county reopenings. But not all restrictions will cease. The state’s mask mandate will remain in effect and “common sense risk-reduction measures” must be followed, health officials said. The June 15 reopening will add to an already large swath of business operations that were allowed to resume April 5 in Los Angeles County and April 7 in Ventura County when area businesses moved from purple tier to orange tier in the state’s current safety model.

“Our thanks goes out to all of those helpers who have worked hard and helped us get here today,” Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks said.

John Loesing