California’s pandemic response saved tens of thousands of lives, protected the economy, distributed nation-leading economic assistance and built an unprecedented public health infrastructure
The SMARTER plan will maintain California’s operational readiness to support communities and rapidly respond to outbreaks
SACRAMENTO – Today, Governor Gavin Newsom announced that the COVID-19 state of emergency will end on February 28, 2023, charting the way to phase out one of the most effective and necessary tools that California has used to combat COVID-19. This timeline provides the flexibility healthcare needs to handle any potential surge that may occur after the January and February holidays, as well as giving state and local partners the time needed to prepare for this phase-out and set themselves up for success afterward .
With hospitalizations and deaths dramatically reduced due to the state’s vaccination and public health efforts, California has the tools needed to continue fighting COVID-19 when the state of emergency ends in late February, including vaccines and boosters, testing, treatments and other means. measures such as masking and indoor ventilation. As the state of emergency is phased out, the SMARTER plan continues to guide California’s strategy to best protect people from COVID-19.
“Throughout the pandemic, we have been guided by the science and the data – we have moved quickly and strategically to save lives. The state of emergency was an effective and necessary tool that we used to protect our state, and we would not have gotten to this point without it, Governor Newsom said. “With the operational readiness that we have built and the measures we will continue to use going forward, California is ready to phase out this tool.”
To maintain California’s COVID-19 laboratory testing and therapeutic treatment capacity, the Newsom administration will seek two statutory changes immediately upon the Legislature’s return: 1) Nurses’ continued ability to dispense COVID-19 therapy; and 2) The continued ability of laboratory workers to exclusively process COVID-19 tests.
“California’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic has prepared us for what’s to come. As we move into this next phase, the infrastructure and processes we’ve invested in and built will give us the tools to handle any upheaval and downturns in the future, said Secretary of the California Health & Human Services Agency, Dr. Mark Ghaly. “While the threat from this virus remains real, our preparedness and our collective efforts have helped make this crisis a manageable situation.”
Throughout the pandemic, Governor Newsom, the Legislature and state agencies have been guided by the science and data to best protect Californians and save lives—focusing on those facing the greatest social and health disparities—remaining nimble in adapting measures to reduce measures along the way. when we learned more about COVID-19. The state’s efforts to support Californians resulted in:
California’s pandemic response efforts have saved tens of thousands of lives, kept people out of the hospital and protected the economy:
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