With new cases plunging and a universal indoor mask lifted for the vaccinated, Gov. Gavin Newsom prepared Thursday to unveil a plan for coexisting with the coronavirus, which scientists say is likely to be around for the foreseeable future.
The introduction to the “SMARTER plan” noted that California has led the nation when it comes to fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, taking “early public health measures that saved lives.”“It is clear the virus will remain with us for some time, if not forever,” the early release read. “It is less clear how often and how much it will continue to impact our health and well-being.
California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly argued that the state will remain ready into the foreseeable future to ensure that local jurisdictions have access to necessities like masks and PCR and rapid testing that help mitigate and monitor the virus’ spread. He added that previous standardized responses to the virus’ spread across the state will likely be ineffective in the future, as many of the state’s 58 counties will have differing levels of viral transmission at any given time.
Ghaly noted that California will likely still see seasonal COVID surges around the beginning of the academic year and during winter, but said that future COVID-related restrictions are highly unlikely. The announcement comes newly two years after Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, imposed the nation’s first statewide stay-home order, temporarily crippling the state’s economy in contrast to approaches in Republican states like Florida and Texas that took a more hands-off approach.
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