After 13 long months of the COVID-19 Pandemic in full swing, we are beginning to see light on the horizon. Case numbers are on the decline, vaccinations are ramping up, and not one county in California remains in the Purple “Widespread” tier. With over 80% of California in the Orange “Moderate” tier, Governor Newsom has announced that we can soon look to move “Beyond the Blueprint“, hopefully by June 15th. This move Beyond the Blueprint will require two things:
- Equitable vaccine availability: If vaccine supply is sufficient for Californians 16 years or older who wish to be inoculated. [i]
- Consistently low burden of disease: Hospitalizations are stable and low, and specifically, hospitalizations among fully vaccinated individuals are low.
If both of these are criteria are met, the economy will “fully reopen”. This will include masking and other distancing practices. Many activities will require either a negative COVID-19 test or proof of vaccination. Also:
- All sectors listed in the current Blueprint Activities and Business Tiers Chart may return to usual operations in compliance with ETS/Cal OSHA and other statewide agency guidelines and standards
- Unless testing or vaccination status is verified for all attendees, conventions will be capped at 5,000 persons until October 1.
- International convention attendees will only be allowed if fully vaccinated.
- Schools and institutions of higher education should conduct full-time, in person instruction, in compliance with Cal/OSHA emergency temporary standards and public health guidelines.
- Workplaces promote policies that reduce risk, including improved indoor ventilation, and mask wearing in indoor and other high-risk settings as well as remote work when possible without impacting business operations.
- Californians and travelers will be subject to any current CDPH and CDC travel restrictions.
California will also need to maintain the public health and medical infrastructure in these five priority areas:
- Continue to provide vaccinations and be prepared for the vaccination of Californians under 16 years old. It is critical that vaccines remain effective against circulating strains.
- Conduct equity-focused monitoring and surveillance by maintaining adequate testing capacity and strategies for the early detection of cases including variants via genomic sequencing.
- Contain disease spread through timely investigation of cases, contacts, and outbreaks.
- Maintain a statewide plan to scale up resources for isolation or quarantine.
- Monitor hospital admissions and maintain adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) and healthcare surge capacity that can be easily mobilized.
Here at GSRMA, we are continuing to take steps to ensure that our staff and member agencies are fitted with the latest resources and guidance from the CDC and others. The thought of moving “Beyond the Blueprint” is something we are all striving for and will continue to make efforts to achieve. Should you have any questions regarding this plan, or any steps your agency could be implementing, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our Member Services Department, so that we can help guide you in this process. We’re all in this together, and hopefully we will all be moving beyond this shortly!