California Not Ready To Lift State Of Emergency; Newsom Sees “No End Date” Yet To Covid Crisis

deadline.com:

“We have all come to understand what was not understood at the beginning of this crisis: that there is no end date, that there is not a moment where we declare victory,” said California Governor Gavin Newsom yesterday as he announced the state’s plan for the next phase of Covid.“Today is about turning a page, moving from this crisis mentality, moving from a reactive framework to a framework where we are more sentinel,” said the governor. “[We are] moving away from a reactive mindset and a crisis mindset to living with this virus.” Newsom and other state officials laid out what they called their “S.M.A.R.T.E.R” plan for doing so.The topline of California’s new model is the flexibility to respond to future variants and outbreaks even as the state loosens many restrictions that have become unpopular.

As the region’s Director of Health and Human Services Dr. Mark Ghaly indicated on a call with reporters, it’s less about predicting the future than being ready for it.One change not being made, according to Ghaly: The state will not soon rescind the emergency declaration that has allowed the governor extraordinary powers to respond to the crisis.Asked on a call with reporters if the state of emergency would now be lifted, Ghaly indicated that it was still necessary, even as California moves away from its so-called reactive framework.“As we move out of the mindset of an emergency, we need to make sure the tools that help us manage an emergency well are available,” the HHS director said. “These are the tools that have allowed us to protect Californians in quite an incredible way.

We are still using them today.”Ghaly, like Newsom, stressed the need for flexibility.“We’re gliding into normal. We’re not announcing the turn to