California has finalized plans for its full economic reopening next week, beginning the process of unwinding more than a year of pandemic-related restrictions and emergency actions while continuing efforts to persuade the skeptical and reluctant to get vaccinated.
Starting Tuesday, the state will remove most remaining restrictions on businesses and significantly relax mask-wearing rules for those who are vaccinated — two significant efforts made possible by the steady retreat of COVID-19.

And officials said Friday that Gov. Gavin Newsom will also begin rescinding dozens of emergency actions he imposed by executive order in response to the pandemic, a process that will play out over several months.

The double whammy of reopening and rules relaxation would not be possible “had it not been for all of your hard work, your resilience, the remarkable effort that all of you have advanced over the course of the last year,” according to Newsom.

“I want to thank 40 million Californians strong for what you’ve endured, the stress and anxiety, the fear many people had,” he said during a briefing Friday. “It’s been a very challenging time for everybody, and I’m very encouraged that we are where we are.”

California is now on the brink of its most substantial return to normal since the pandemic began.

Coronavirus-related capacity restrictions and physical distancing requirements will be lifted at almost all businesses and other institutions starting Tuesday.


Gone will be the system of color-coded tiers that for months kept counties on pins and needles as they awaited word for how widely activities could resume. Businesses that have long operated at less-than-complete capacity will be able to throw open their doors.

And Californians who are fully vaccinated for COVID-19 will be able to shed their face masks in most nonwork situations.

But while the seesawing restrictions have dominated the headlines, Newsom’s executive actions have also had a sweeping impact on the lives of Californians, though in ways not always readily apparent.