![](https://californiaglobe.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/KS2_4228-850x642.jpg)
California State Capitol. (Photo: Kevin Sanders for California Globe)
California Fails COVID-19 National State Reopening Guide
How open for business is each state?
By Katy Grimes, June 15, 2021 7:20 am
“How open for business is each state?” MultiState.us asked in a comparison of states’ reopening plans. “A handful of states never issued stay-at-home orders at all, while all states mandated at least some business closings on a sliding scale of strictness during the pandemic.” California earned a measly 53 points out of 100 possible. Only Washington, Oregon and Hawaii fared worse.
It is evident that California really isn’t open for business – yet. Business owners are confused about the existing restrictions. Some of the “guidelines” come from OSHA, some come from the California Department of Public Health, and others come from county public health officials.
The Globe received several emails from business owners in the state unclear on what is allowed, and what restrictions are still in place. “The way I read this employees still need to wear masks—for now,” one business owner said. The owner included the “guidelines” from Santa Barbara County – confusing at best, and utterly ridiculous:
Effective tomorrow morning (Tuesday, June 15 at 12:01 AM) California will no longer be under the COVID-19 statewide Blueprint Tier system, and many of its associated restrictions on business or other activities.
What does this mean for your business or organization?
BUSINESS OPERATIONS
In general, COVID-19 restrictions on capacity, physical distancing, and/or types of operations allowed will no longer apply.
- Restaurants, swimming pools and body art facilities may return to full capacity
- Physical distancing restrictions for customers, guests or the general public no longer apply, although they still apply for employees.
- Self-service food and beverage areas such as salad bars, salsa bars, beverage fountains, bulk bins and buffets may reopen.
- Frequent cleaning or sanitizing of high-contact surfaces is recommended, but will no longer be required.
MASKING
The California Department of Public Health has issued new masking guidance which starts June 15th. All people in California must follow this guidance, which can be found at: https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/guidance-for-face-coverings.aspx
- Everyone, regardless of vaccination status, must continue to wear masks in certain indoor settings, such as healthcare, indoors in K-12 schools, correctional and detention facilities, shelters (such as homeless, emergency and cooling shelters) and public transit.
- Masks are required only for unvaccinated individuals in indoor public settings and businesses
- Employers must continue to follow additional guidance from Cal/OSHA at this time. In general, employers must:
- Ensure physical distancing between employees whenever possible
- Ensure employees wear face coverings over the nose and mouth when indoors and when outdoors, and when employees are within 6 feet of another worker.
- Exceptions include: when an employee is alone in a room, when eating or drinking, when using a respirator or other respiratory protection, when an employee cannot use a face covering due to a medical or mental condition; if hearing impaired or communicating with a hearing-impaired person; or when specific work tasks cannot be performed with a face covering. Other measures to protect against COVID-19 infection must be implemented when face coverings cannot be used.
More detailed information can be found at: https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/coronavirus/Guidance-by-Industry.html.
State and local governments have deliberately made this confusing. And they don’t address “the unvaccinated” who had coronavirus and now have the antibodies. They keep avoiding that discussion.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday that the state will allow fully vaccinated workers go maskless after Thursday, June 17, pending a vote from OSHA, the state’s workplace safety board. Why not Tuesday June 15th, when he allowed the state to reopen?
This the Methodology MultiState.us used to evaluate states on reopening:
- Are residents under a stay-at-home order?
- Is the state under a mandatory curfew?
- Are there restrictions on private or public gatherings?
- Are non-essential offices (not customer-facing) allowed to open?
- Are non-essential retail open?
- Are personal care services open to customers?
- Are physical fitness businesses open to customers?
- Are restaurants open beyond pickup and delivery?
- Are bars open beyond pickup and delivery?
- Are venues that service large crowds open?
- Local Preemption and Statewide vs. Regional Approaches.
Each of these eleven factors is given a rating (red, orange, yellow, green) based on how open the state is for each factor. These ratings are then run through a weighted formula to produce a score from 0 to 100.
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Today is a good day to ditch the mask, take a deep breath and just breathe!
Happy UnMasking Day California!
Say what? Oh, that’s Cali Girl, not Call Girl.
Whew!
YAWN! I for one am not surprised. Thanks Katy for keeping the heat on. The information about our poor leadership needs to be repeated time and again until the recall election. Repetition is the key to remembering,,,,,yes? Its been said that the voter has a memory of about 6 months, no one knows this better than the pols.
Covid by the #’s, no vaccine: 12 to 25 age / 99% recovery rate, 25 to 50 age 97% recovery rate, 50 or older 96% recovery rate. 98% of deaths related to covid were linked to Diabetes & Obesity. Another factor heart disease, cancer or other. Influenza deaths will surpass covid in 2020. Masks do NOTHING to prevent the virus from spreading. Newsom is urging everyone including children to get vaccinated? Gee I wonder if his children have had the jab? I sincerely doubt it. Wake up CA the information is out there we are being bamboozled this is not about science it is about unabated power and control over your life! A Democrat never let a crisis go to waste this state ha s been destroyed by the left and is not getting better anytime soon, get out while you can!
Appreciate this, Katy Grimes, and the state comparisons especially, because they clearly show how absurd all of this is. Am I the only one who is way beyond fed up at this point? I think not, ha ha! But never mind, it feeds the Recall. Bigly.
If it does anything for you, check out Newsom sweating in his business suit in the 100 degree heat at Universal Studios Hollywood today with the Minions and Optimus Prime — and a troll (?). More vaccine lottery games came later. As it got hotter. (It’s 109 in SoCal today)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZD-RraqmwUg
People, regardless whether your vaccinated or not, we need to boycott the businesses that request the experimental vaccine passport or other verification. This is the precursor to a massive freedom restricting, data collecting social credit system, and government is encouraging the private sector test run it. This must be rejected en mass by customers. This is the only power we have to fight against this tyranny. Once implemented, it will never go away. Remember “2-weeks to shorten the curve” ??
Absolutely agree with you 100%
Jeff, if the way I feel about this is any indication I think (hope) this will happen by default because people are bursting with impatience against the gullible and the control freaks and their needless masks and their social distancing and all their other pointless rules and regulations. Aren’t they? Once the feckless politicians and bureaucrats no longer threaten to shut down your business because you won’t obey their reign is OVER. If most people just go about their business, maskless and unperturbed, it seems as though very soon it will become the “new normal” again.
With some entities, however, the bottom line doesn’t seem to matter and boycotts won’t work because they think they will be subsidized somehow no matter what they do. The continued survival of the L.A. Times in spite of subscribers abandoning them for decades comes to mind.
Apparently they are still holding employees of business and children in schools hostage. This needs to stop and is full on discrimination. Real discrimination.