With the June 15 re-opening of California only a week away, inland county officials are waiting on specifics for what this will mean for public spaces and the workplace.
There could be some changes in guidance between now and California’s re-opening, but “essentially it’s business as usual or business pre-COVID," said San Bernardino County Interim Public Health Director, Andrew Goldfrach.
He told county board of supervisors this would mean lifting COVID-19 restrictions like physical distancing, capacity limits, and indoors versus outdoors requirements in pretty much all situations except very large events. Local officials are also still waiting on masking guidance from the state’s workplace regulators. One idea being discussed is to require masks at work if one or more employees are not vaccinated.
While counties wait, they are continuing to stress the importance of vaccination and are working to improve access for at-risk communities. In Riverside County, 41 percent of people age 12 and older are fully vaccinated and in San Bernardino County it’s nearly 40 percent.
Dr. Geoffrey Leung, Riverside County's public health officer, told his board of supervisors that in California close to 100 percent of COVID cases are now in individuals who have not been vaccinated. “It does look like the vaccine is working very well," said Riverside County Public Health Officer, Dr. Geoffrey Leung. "It’s highly effective for preventing serious complications, hospitalizations and death.”