COVID PM: Our next event & a big day for California reopening details

By Mark Conley

Source: Lookout Santa Cruz

Hello, everyone, happy Friday night.

I want to let you know about this very cool event we’ve got planned for next Wednesday night, reflecting upon what we’ve both achieved and thus far failed to achieve in the fight for racial justice over the past year.

The slate of speakers — not to mention the host, my good friend Tulsi — makes this a don’t-miss Lookout event.

Read more about our group of speakers here and sign up for the event here.

And now to today’s busy slate of COVID-19 headlines...

California unveils sweeping plan for full reopening

‘No longer needed for the foreseeable future’: State officials on Friday unveiled perhaps their most eagerly anticipated pandemic-related guidelines, which will steer California into a new, fully reopened age. Come June 15, Californians will wake up to a world that looks nothing like the past year-plus — one where businesses can open their doors without COVID-19 constraints on capacity or requirements for physical distancing, and where people who are fully vaccinated no longer need to wear masks in most situations. California also will align with recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention when it comes to travel, according to Dr. Mark Ghaly, the state’s Health and Human Services secretary. More from the LA Times on that here.

How life in California will change with June 15 reopening

What are the key points? California is moving forward with a dramatic reopening of the economy on June 15 that will remove nearly all of the restrictions residents have been living with for more than a year. The move comes as daily coronavirus cases have plummeted and vaccinations have increased in the state. Here’s a rundown of what you need to know.

Many seniors have lost strength, could need rehabilitative services

‘I found it hard to get up and get out of bed’: A little-discussed, long-term toll of the COVID-19 pandemic is that large numbers of older adults have become physically and cognitively debilitated and less able to care for themselves after sheltering in place. More from Kaiser Health News here.

Cash to help California renters goes unspent with eviction protections expiring soon

‘There is tremendous anxiety on the part of our constituents about the challenges of accessing this money’: Months after the state approved $2.6 billion to help California tenants pay rent amid hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, advocates say a disappointingly low number of people have applied, as the program has been hampered by a slow start, confusion and bureaucratic red tape. More from the LA Times here.

More from here & elsewhere

➤ Covid vaccine profits mint 9 new pharma billionaires (CNN)
➤ Moms are burned-out: What can we do to ease the burden? (CNN)
➤ As pandemic spread pain and panic, congressman chased profit (NBC News)
➤ Vaccine makers pledge 2.3B doses to less wealthy nations (ABC News)
➤ Schools Are Dropping Mask Requirements, But A New CDC Study Suggests They Shouldn’t (NPR)
➤ Early CDC Coronavirus Test Came With Inconsistent Instructions And Cost The U.S. Weeks (NPR)
➤ San Francisco relaxes COVID rules as city reaches major milestone (SF Gate)
➤ Lakers’ LeBron James declines to say whether he has or plans to take COVID-19 vaccine (USA Today)

Happy weekend time, everyone.

Mark Conley
Deputy Managing Editor