SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California officials will unveil Thursday a new state plan that aims to coexist with the pandemic as the coronavirus is in retreat but not expected to disappear anytime soon.
FILE – California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at a press conference on Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2022, in Oakland, Calif. California officials are expected to unveil a new state plan on Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, that aims to coexist with a deadly coronavirus that is in retreat but is not expected to disappear anytime soon. Newsom, a Democrat, imposed the nation’s first statewide stay-home order, temporarily crippling the state’s economy in contrast to approaches in red states like Florida and Texas.
It presumes the most populous state is entering an endemic stage, where the virus still exists in a community but becomes manageable as immunity builds.
“The focus is going to be being prepared and being ready,” California’s health secretary, Dr. Mark Ghaly, said Monday in presaging the announcement.
“How do we continue to live with a virus that changes and kind of throws curveballs at different times?” he said, given that there is no guarantee the next variant won’t be more virulent.
The move comes a day after California lifted its latest indoor masking mandate and after officials said they would delay until Feb. 28 an announcement on when they will stop requiring masks in schools.
The schools announcement trails many other states in what Ghaly said is a sign of California’s cautious approach.
