Governor Gavin Newsom’s office recently released a four stage plan for returning to normalcy, covering where we are now as a state and what steps we’re taking to move forward. It emphasized taking responsibility at all levels: individual, business, and government.
The “Update on California’s Pandemic Roadmap” covers the six indicators for modifying the stay-at-home order:
- Ability to test, contact, trace, isolate, and support the exposed
- Therapeutic development to meet demand
- Ability to protect those at high risk for COVID-19
- Surge capacity for hospitals and healthcare systems
- Determination of when to reinstate measures like stay-at-home
- Ability of businesses, schools, and childcare centers to support social distancing
These indicators will be used by California’s government to determine when to roll back quarantine measures and reopen the state. When we do reopen, Californians should anticipate the process coming in four distinct stages outlined by the Resilience Roadmap.
The first stage of “Safety and Preparedness” (our current stage) involves working on build testing, contract tracing, and hospital surge capacity. We’re working on making essential businesses as safe as possible, and are preparing sector-by-sector guidelines for expanding the workforce.
Stage two, deemed “Lower Risk Workplaces,” anticipates gradually opening certain workplaces with restrictions. Retail, manufacturing, and further public spaces would see gradual reopening procedures, and wage replacement would be instated to allow workers to stay home when sick. In this stage, schools and childcare would reopen with adaptations, potentially starting their next year sooner—in July or August.
Of course, it won’t be easy moving to the second stage of recovery. California is looking for certain indicators that it’s safe to ease precautions, including:
- Hospitalization and ICU trends stable
- Hospital surge capacity to meet demand
- Sufficient PPE supply
- Sufficient testing capacity
- Contact tracing capacity statewide
This transition would still occur through a statewide stay-at-home order, but opportunities for regional variations would be possible. Counties will be able to choose to relax stricter local orders at their own pace. The state anticipates collaborating closely with local governments during the transition.
Stage three of the transition would open higher-risk environments, such as hair and nail salons, entertainment venues, and in-person religious services, with adaptations and limits on gathering sizes. The final stage would reopen most high-risk workplaces once therapeutics have been developed.
Overall, California is continuing to ask the public to stay home as much as possible and continue practicing physical distancing. This plan is a framework for how to safely reopen in the future, and will define the coming months of our lives.
