SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today issued a proclamation terminating the state’s COVID-19 State of Emergency, as previously announced in October.
The state’s SMARTER Plan will maintain California’s operational preparedness to address the next phase of the COVID-19 pandemic and will continue to guide the state’s work to support communities across the state. Additionally, COVID-19 vaccines, testing, and treatment continue to be available at sites within local communities across the state.
KEY NUMBERS
HEALTH
- California’s COVID-19 death rate was among the lowest in the nation.
- If California had Texas’ death rate, 27,000 more people would have died here.
- If California had Florida’s rate, 56,000 more people would have died here.
- Nationally, the COVID-19 death rate was 339 per 100,000, far above California’s rate.
- California administered more than 88 million vaccines – translating to nearly 73% of the state’s population being vaccinated.
ECONOMY
- California’s GDP contracted less and grew faster than the U.S. GDP between 2019 and 2022.
- California’s unemployment rate fell nearly twice as fast as other large population states.
- California is on track to become the 4th largest economy in the world.
EDUCATION
- On average, California students experienced less learning loss than the rest of the nation.
- California 8th graders had no declines in reading scores.
- Nationally, 8th grader reading scores declined 3 points (on the National Assessment of Educational Progress scale).
Editors Note: Newsom made the announcement back in October 2022.
Governor Newsom to End the COVID-19 State of Emergency
SACRAMENTO – Today, Governor Gavin Newsom announced that the COVID-19 State of Emergency will end on February 28, 2023, charting the path to phasing out one of the most effective and necessary tools that California has used to combat COVID-19. This timeline gives the health care system needed flexibility to handle any potential surge that may occur after the holidays in January and February, in addition to providing state and local partners the time needed to prepare for this phaseout and set themselves up for success afterwards.
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 terminates at the end of February, including vaccines and boosters, testing, treatments and other mitigation measures like 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.
