California, the first U.S. state to lock down its economy over the coronavirus, on Thursday became the first to explicitly shift to a new strategy of managing COVID as an ongoing risk—while preparing for future outbreaks.
Under a plan unveiled by Governor Gavin Newsom, the state will use wastewater surveillance to spot new infections and variants, while lining up its own supply of tests and a stockpile of 75 million masks to deploy as needed. California also wants to be able to administer 200,000 vaccine doses per day if another surge arrives.
The strategy represents a marked shift from the last two years of mask mandates and lockdowns that shuttered small businesses, emptied Silicon Valley’s corporate campuses and brought Hollywood production to a halt—while fueling an unsuccessful recall drive against the Democratic governor. But with the omicron surge now fading, Newsom said it was time for California to move to a new phase of fighting COVID.
“People are desperate to move past this crisis mode that we’ve been in for the last few years,” Newsom told reporters at a state-run warehouse in San Bernardino County. “People are desperate to get back to whatever semblance of normalcy they vaguely may remember from a few years prior. But they also need to know that we have their back, we’re going to keep them safe, and we’re going to stay on top of this.”
The new plan—given the acronym SMARTER—calls for the state to negotiate with manufacturers to maintain a supply of tests that can be quickly deployed in case wastewater scans detect new outbreaks. California, which has lost more than 82,500 people to the virus, will also work with health-care providers to ensure that hospitals can quickly bring on 3,000 additional clinical staff statewide within three weeks of a future surge.
California lifted its mask mandate for most indoor spaces this week, joining Democrat-led states including Illinois, New York and Nevada in taking one of the key steps toward normal life after first the delta and then Omicron variant roiled plans. Washington state said Thursday that it plans to lift its mask requirement for spaces including schools on March 21.
California health officials this week said they would leave in place—for now—the requirement that students and teachers wear masks in class. Newsom said Thursday that the state on Feb. 28 would announce a timeline for lifting the mandate.
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