Gov. Gavin Newsom lifted pandemic executive orders yesterday as the state moved to fully and safely reopen. These orders include terminating the stay-at-home order that was implemented early in the pandemic and retiring the Blueprint for a Safer Economy. This means restrictions such as physical distancing, capacity limits and the county tier system have now come to an end.

The governor is also continuing the wind down of executive actions put in place in March 2020. A subset of provisions that facilitate the ongoing recovery – such as the provision allowing pharmacy technicians to administer vaccinations – will remain in place.

“California is turning the page on this pandemic, thanks to swift action by the state and the work of Californians who followed public health guidelines and got vaccinated to protect themselves and their communities,” said Newsom. “With nearly 40 million vaccines administered and among the lowest case rates in the nation, we are lifting the orders that impact Californians on a day-to-day basis while remaining vigilant to protect public health and safety as the pandemic persists.”

The early stay-at-home orders directing Californians to limit interactions with people from other households and the tightening of allowable activities based on the level of community transmission helped slow the spread of the virus, the governor says.

The governor’s office also established a timeline and process to continue winding down the various provisions of the 58 COVID-related executive orders. To ensure that impacted individuals and entities have time to prepare for the changes, the provisions will occur in phases beginning later this month through September. By September 30, nearly 90 percent of the executive actions taken since March 2020 will have been lifted.