COVID-19 pandemic in California

Nurses protesting a lack of N-95 masks at the UCLA Medical Center on April 13, 2020

As early as January, 2020, a survey by the California Department of Public Health found that many Californian health care providers were having trouble obtaining adequate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), such as masks, gowns, and eye protection.[43] By mid-March, 2020, when Newsom issued the first statewide shelter-in-place order,[44] 220 of 292 California hospitals surveyed already reported that they were having to limit use of masks, often severely.[43] Even with limitations in place, Newsom estimated that California healthcare facilities were still using about 46 million masks each month during the pandemic.[45]

As safety equipment shortages continued throughout the first months of the pandemic,[46] many doctors, nurses and emergency medical service workers expressed fears and frustrations at being asked to reuse safety gear or wear homemade and less effective masks and at the overall lack of proper PPE, which does not provide adequate protection from COVID-19 exposure.[47][48][49][50][51][52] As of July 29, 2020, local agencies reported 127 deaths from a total of 23,513 confirmed positive cases among healthcare workers in California.[53]

Newsom's administration made several attempts to procure masks and other protective equipment for healthcare workers, including:

• multiple attempts at large-scale mask purchases, including failed deals with Blue Flame Medical (now under investigation by the US Department of Justice),[54][55] and Bear Mountain Development Co.,[56] as well as a successful, if initially delayed, purchase from BYD;[45][57] and
• a marketplace portal where individuals and businesses could offer PPE for donation or sale, attracting many small donations and fraudulent business posts that overwhelmed the site managers.[58][59][60]

As of July 22, 2020, California's stockpile reached approximately 86 million N-95 masks and 111 million surgical and procedural masks.[45]

At the start of 2020, California had 416 hospitals, yielding a statewide capacity of about 78,000 beds.[61] In mid-March, 2020, when the state was preparing for a surge of COVID-19 cases, Newsom submitted an unfulfilled request for 10,000 ventilators from the federal government.[61] The state government continued to acquire ventilators, but was able to flatten the curve enough that on April 6, 2020, California donated 500 ventilators to the Strategic National Stockpile for use in other states.[62] As of July 13, 2020, hospitals statewide report that 36% of ICU beds were available still, as were 72% of ventilators. However, the hardest-hit counties were quickly reaching capacity, and reportedly borrowing ventilators from neighboring hospitals to meet demand.[63]

A sign of community support for Tuolumne County in a shop window in Jamestown, California on May 30, 2020

In March 2020, there were calls for crowdsourcing on social media, to donate any masks, goggles, or other equipment to healthcare professionals.[64]

On March 22, Major Bay Area medical centers, UCSF and Stanford Health Center placed a called to action for donations of personal protective equipment.[65]

Local public health offices started coordinating donation efforts.[66]

Maker Nexus, a non-profit maker space in Sunnyvale, began making face shields to donate to local hospitals and other health care facilities, using its 3D printers and laser cutters. This effort grew rapidly as individuals in the Bay Area began using home-based 3D printers and bringing the result to Maker Nexus to complete the shields and deliver them to the recipients.[67][68] By the first of April, more than 300 community members were using their home 3D printers for this effort.[69][70][71] Together with other groups and individuals, the maker space is also making cloth face masks to substitute for N95 masks in non-critical applications and helping to coordinate face mask deliveries.[72] California had no central coordination of informing about vaccinations, and was among the worst at vaccine distribution efficiency in the U.S., with only 37 percent of its 4.4 million doses having been administered by January 20th. Volunteers created VaccinateCA, an information website, in January 2021.[73][74]

On February 10, Santa Clara County declared a local health emergency that would allow health authorities to deploy rapid response in the event of a potential coronavirus case. The state of emergency would be in effect for 30 days.[76] On February 14, San Diego County declared a local health emergency to ensure that the county had the resources needed to respond to the infections. The state of emergency lasted for seven days.[77]

On February 25, the mayor of San Francisco, London Breed, declared a state of emergency that would allow city officials to assemble resources and personnel to expedite emergency measures in the event of a potential coronavirus case in the city.[78][79] On February 26, Orange County declared a local health emergency to raise awareness and accelerate emergency planning.[79] On February 27, Solano County declared a local health emergency to bolster response to COVID-19 cases.[80] Newsom announced that, as of February 27, 2020, the number of people being monitored for the virus in California amounted to 8,400.[81]

On February 27, the governor announced that the state was limited in testing for the new coronavirus because it had only 200 testing kits.[82]

A Wireless Emergency Alert sent by Santa Clara County, California about the shelter-in-place order

On March 3, Placer County declared a public health emergency, following the confirmation of a second coronavirus case in that county.[83] On March 4, the governor declared a state of emergency after the first death in California attributable to coronavirus occurred in Placer County.[84][85][86]

On March 7, a family in Elk Grove contracted the virus and was quarantined[87] which led to the school district of Elk Grove decision to close down all schools until March 13.[88] On March 8, Riverside County declared a public health emergency with a case being treated at Eisenhower Health in Rancho Mirage.[89]

On March 9, Santa Clara County announced that beginning March 11, public gatherings with more than 1,000 people would be banned for a three-week period.[90] On March 10, a resident of a retirement home tested positive in Elk Grove in Sacramento County. County health officials said that they had the capacity to only test 20 people per day and would be focusing all their efforts on the other residents of the retirement home. That resident died from complications of the virus on the same day. Also on March 10, a woman became the first presumptive case of the novel coronavirus in San Diego County, who was being treated at Scripps Green Hospital, with verification of the test results pending from the CDC. The infection was related to overseas travel; she had not been subjected to a 14-day quarantine upon return, indicating that she did not come from one of the "high risk" countries at the time of her return.[91]

On March 12, Newsom announced that mass gatherings (over 250 people) and social gatherings (more than 10 people) were banned until the end of March.[92] He also issued an order to permit the state to commandeer hotels and medical facilities to treat coronavirus patients.[93][94][95][96] On March 13, schools were closed in Marin, Sacramento, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, Santa Clara, Solano, Placer, and Contra Costa counties, as well as the Oakland, Antioch, Santa Cruz, Los Angeles Unified, Chaffey Unified, Etiwanda, Fontana Unified, Ontario-Montclair, Alta Loma Unified, San Diego, Los Alamitos Unified, and Washington Unified school districts. In Santa Clara county, all gatherings of 100 or more people were banned, and gatherings of 35 or more people were banned unless they satisfied public health restrictions.[97][98][99][100][101] Press reports in April suggest that the aggressive early imposition of social-distancing orders by Santa Clara County were the result of community surveillance performed beginning on March 5.[102]

Executive Order N-33-20: the March 19 stay-at-home order from California governor Gavin Newsom

On March 15, Newsom called for voluntary closure of bars and in-home self-isolation of seniors 65 and older, as well as persons at-risk due to underlying conditions.[103] On March 16, the health officers of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties announced, with the City of Berkeley, a legal order directing their respective residents to shelter in place for three weeks beginning midnight March 17 to April 7 in order to slow the spread of the coronavirus.[104] The order limited activity, travel and business functions to only the most essential needs.[105][106][107] The same day, the county of Santa Cruz issued a similar shelter in place order.[108]

On March 17, more counties issued shelter in place orders, including Monterey County (until April 4),[109] San Benito (until April 7),[110] and Sonoma (until April 7).[111] Sacramento County issued a stay-at-home directive, which, unlike a shelter in place order, is not a legal requirement.[112] The federal Defense Secretary said the military would provide up to 5 million respirator masks and also 2,000 ventilators from its reserve.[113]

On March 18, shelter in place orders were issued by Yolo County (until April 7),[114] the city of Fresno (until March 31),[115] Napa County (effective March 20, until April 7)[116] San Luis Obispo County (until April 17),[117] and Mendocino County (until April 7).[118] The Department of Defense said the Navy's hospital ship USNS Mercy is being prepared for deployment in California, "to assist potentially overwhelmed communities with acute patient care".[119]

On March 19, Sacramento County upgraded its stay-at-home directive into an official order that carries legal consequences.[120] Newsom then announced a statewide stay-at-home order.[121][122][123] Newsom said that the state has asked the Department of Defense to deploy the Navy's USNS Mercy hospital ship in California.[124]

On March 21, the Strategic National Stockpile Division of the United States Department of Health and Human Services converted the Santa Clara Convention Center into a Federal Medical Station to receive noncritical patients from local hospitals.[125]

On March 22, President Trump announced that he had directed Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide 8 large federal medical stations with 2,000 beds for California.[126]

On March 24, Newsom passed an executive order to postpone intakes in prisons and juvenile correction centers. The objective was to hinder contamination in the prison system.[127]

On March 24, Mendocino County revised its shelter-in-place order to align with the state order including a stricter list of essential businesses, closure of all parks within Mendocino County, and for the order to be in place until rescinded.[128]

On March 30, the health officers of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties extended the legal order directing their respective residents to shelter in place to May 3.[129]

On April 1, Newsom announced the closure of all public and private schools for the remainder of the 2019–2020 academic year, including all institutions of higher education, and directing all schools to "put all efforts into strengthening our delivery of education through distance learning."[130] The University of California system announced that they would temporarily suspend the use of standardized testing for Fall 2021 admissions, and suspend the letter grade requirement for A-G courses completed in winter, spring, and summer 2020.[131]

A sign outside a store in Los Angeles County on April 17 requiring all customers to wear face coverings to enter

On April 7, Mayor of Los Angeles Eric Garcetti announced that in accordance with recent CDC recommendations, it would institute a Worker Protection Order beginning April 10, requiring all employees and customers of stores and essential businesses to wear a face mask. Businesses will have the right to refuse service to customers who do not wear a face mask.[132][133] Newsom announced that the state has secured a deal that will provide upwards of 200 million masks, including 150 million N95 masks, per month to the state.[134]

On April 9, Newsom announced the state would pay for hotel rooms for hospital and other essential workers afraid of returning home and infecting family members.[135]

On April 13, Newsom, together with Oregon governor Kate Brown and Washington governor Jay Inslee, announced the Western States Pact, an agreement to coordinate among the three states to restart economic activity while controlling the outbreak.[136]

On April 15, Newsom announced that undocumented immigrants can receive $500 per adult or $1,000 per household.[137] The total cost will be $75 million that will be distributed by nonprofit organizations.[138]

On April 22, Newsom ordered a review on autopsies of people who died in December 2019 in order to find out when COVID-19 arrived in California.[139]

On April 24, Newsom announced a program that will deliver free meals to elderly residents who meet the program's requirements. This program partners with local restaurants to deliver up to $61 worth of meals per day to each qualified resident. 75% of the program's cost will be covered by FEMA, and the rest will be covered by the state and local governments.[140]

On April 24, Mayor of San Francisco London Breed said the city order's for PPE from China were instead rerouted to France and to FEMA. "We had isolation gowns on the way to San Francisco and then diverted to France," she said. Another order of equipment went through customs and then was "confiscated" by FEMA for other places. She later stated "That at the height of this pandemic we are still having a conversation about PPE really does blow my mind. There has been nothing that has been more frustrating."[141][142][143][144]

On April 29, Newsom announced an expansion of the state's Farm to Family program, which helps connect farmers to food banks. The governor also announced that the state's CalFresh program will continue to send every recipient the maximum amount of benefits for May. Newsom also said that families with kids who can receive free or low-cost lunch at schools could now get up to $365 a month in additional benefits due to the Pandemic-EBT program. Additionally, Newsom announced that EBT cards could be used to buy groceries online on Amazon and Walmart, and the state was encouraging other supermarkets to also accept EBTs for online purchasing.[145]

Person wearing a mask in Chinatown, San Francisco, California

By May, Newsom had come under pressure to reopen, e.g. via over a dozen lawsuits filed by lawyer Harmeet Dhillon, who later credited herself for "large sectors of California's economy opening up much sooner than the governor originally intended."[146]

On May 2, the Washington Post reported that a vitamins executive claimed that (at a previous time not specified in the article) Trump had given him Newsom's phone number for the purpose of persuading the governor to buy hydroxychloroquine as a proposed treatment for COVID-19. Newsom declined the proposal to buy millions of hydroxychloroquine tablets, at cost, from an Indian manufacturer.[147]

On May 6, Newsom signed an executive order to extend workers' compensation for all workers who contracted COVID-19 during the state's stay-at-home order. This order was to be retroactive to March 19, when the state's stay-at-home order was issued. Newsom also signed an executive order that waived property tax penalties for residents and small businesses that have been negatively affected by the pandemic.[148]

On May 7, Newsom announced that the state was moving into Stage 2 of its four-stage reopening roadmap. Stage 2 allows for certain low-risk sectors of the economy to reopen, so long as there are significant safety measures in place.[149]

On May 8, Newsom signed an executive order to send every registered voter a mail-in ballot for the 2020 general election.[150]

On May 18, the Department of Public Health announced that counties could selectively reopen types of business that are part of Stage 3 of the state's four-stage reopening roadmap. To reopen certain types of business, a county would attest to its readiness.[151]

On May 26, the Department of Public Health announced that hair service businesses could reopen with restrictions.[152]

On June 5, the Department of Public Health noted that many counties were ready to move ahead into Stage 3 of the state's four-stage reopening roadmap.[153] Stage 3 allows for certain higher-risk businesses to reopen with safety and hygiene modifications like seating capacity and regular cleaning in restaurants, bars, theaters, gyms and hair salons.[154]

On June 12, the Department of Public Health released guidance for expanding the operations of personal care service businesses.[155]

On June 18, the Department of Public Health issued universal masking guidance. Counties may follow this guidance to require the wearing of cloth face coverings by all individuals over the age of 2 in all public indoor settings, and in outdoor settings when social distancing is not possible. Exemptions are provided for restaurants (if social distancing is maintained), inmates, and people with specific medical conditions that prevent their use. Newsom stated that "science shows that face coverings and masks work".[156][157]

By late June, The New York Times observed an "alarming surge in cases" in California that was forcing Newsom to roll back the reopening in several counties.[146]

On June 26, Newsom said he was "committed to intervening" if Imperial County officials did not reimpose stay-at-home orders in the Mexican border region where positive rates averaged 23% while the nationwide average was 5.7%.[158]

On June 28, Newsom ordered bars closed in seven counties: Los Angeles, Fresno, Kern, San Joaquin, Tulare, Kings, and Imperial.[159]

On July 1, Newsom ordered the closure of most indoor businesses, including restaurants, wineries, and movie theaters, in Contra Costa, Fresno, Glenn, Imperial, Kern, Kings, Los Angeles, Merced, Orange, Riverside, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Joaquin, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Solano, Stanislaus, Tulare, and Ventura counties.[160]

As of July 7, 2020, contact tracers in San Diego had only contacted around 9,000 contacts out of an estimated 170,000 persons who need to be contacted. Some people reportedly become angry when contacted and demand to know who had tested positive. When contact tracers don't reveal this information, sometimes people hang up. They attempt to call them two more times, then mail a letter telling them how to stay safe. They call one more time after a 14-day period to see if the person developed symptoms. San Diego does not have a digital contact tracing app and has delayed plans to develop one, citing that the app would first have to go through multiple reviews for privacy and security.[161]

On July 13, Newsom re-imposed the closure of gyms, indoor dining, bars, movie theaters, and museums, citing an increase in cases.[162][163]

By July 2020, California had the highest number of confirmed cases in the United States. In June, the state surpassed the 200,000 and in July 2020, 300,000 and again, 400,000 mark, about one percent infection rate per population for the state's 40 million residents. When the state rolled back reopening on July 13, the Mexican border county of Imperial was suggested on June 26 by the state government to restore their stay-at-home order.[164]

On August 18, San Diego and Santa Cruz were removed from the state watchlist, now consisting of 42 counties.[165] On August 24, Orange, Napa, Calaveras, Mono, and Sierra were removed from the state watchlist.[166]

On August 28, Newsom unveiled the "Blueprint for a Safer Economy" — a new set of guidelines for lifting restrictions, designed to be "simple, stringent and slow". The guidelines replace the state watchlist with a four-tiered, color-coded classification system. These levels are based on the number of daily cases per-100,000 residents, and the current test positivity rate. Classifications are updated on Tuesdays; to progress to a lower level, a county must remain within its required metrics for at least 21 days. A county may be rolled back to a higher tier if its numbers trend into its metrics over a 14-day period. These state orders may still be superseded by stricter county health orders.[167][168]

Head of Health and Human Services Mark Ghaly stated that "health equity benchmarks" would also be a factor in classifications, with the Department of Public Health listing "data collection, testing access, contact tracing, supportive isolation, and outreach that demonstrate a county's ability to address the most impacted communities within a county" as metrics under this category.[170][171][172]

September 8 BSE reassignment:

• Widespread→Substantial: Amador, Orange, Placer, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz

September 15 BSE reassignment:

• Widespread→Substantial: Inyo, Marin, Tehama

September 22 BSE reassignment:

• Widespread→Substantial: Alameda, Riverside, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Solano
• Substantial→Moderate: El Dorado, Lassen, Nevada
• Moderate→Minimal: Mariposa

September 24 BSE reassignment (special):[upper-alpha 3]

• Substantial→Moderate: Sierra

September 29 BSE reassignment:

• Widespread→Substantial: Butte, Contra Costa, Fresno, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Santa Barbara, Yolo
• Substantial→Moderate: Amador, Calaveras, San Francisco

As of September 29, 2020, a majority of the state's population is under Substantial or lower restrictions.[upper-alpha 1]

In early October, the California government added a new "equity metric" to its Blueprint for a Safer Economy. The equity rule relies on the California Healthy Places Index (HPI), which ranks census tracts in California using 25 factors including median household income, unemployment rate, education, voter turnout, tree coverage, health insurance, alcohol availability, and air and water pollution.[173] For counties with a population above 106,000, the reopening of the entire county depends not only on the countywide infection rate but also on the infection rate within census tracts that score in the lowest quartile on the HPI.[174][175]

October 6 BSE reassignment:

• Moderate→Substantial: Shasta
• Substantial→Widespread: Tehama
• Widespread→Substantial: Merced, Ventura, Yuba
• Substantial→Moderate: Inyo
• Moderate→Minimal: Humboldt, Plumas, Siskiyou, Trinity

October 13 BSE reassignment:

• Widespread→Substantial: Colusa, Kern, Kings, San Benito, Stanislaus, Sutter
• Substantial→Moderate: Alameda, Placer, Santa Clara
• Moderate→Minimal: Sierra

October 20 BSE reassignment:

• Substantial→Widespread: Riverside, Shasta
• Substantial→Moderate: Butte, Napa
• Moderate→Minimal: San Francisco

October 27 BSE reassignment:

• Widespread→Substantial: Glenn, Mendocino, Shasta
• Substantial→Moderate: Contra Costa, Marin, San Mateo, Santa Cruz
• Moderate→Minimal: Calaveras

On November 2, the California Supreme Court had a ruling that involved Sutter County on implementing restrictions on Governor Gavin Newsom's public health emergency powers in the state's 8-month old COVID-19 lockdown.[176]

November 4 BSE reassignment:[upper-alpha 4][upper-alpha 5]

• Minimal→Moderate: Plumas, Trinity
• Moderate→Substantial: Placer
• Substantial→Widespread: Shasta
• Substantial→Moderate: Colusa

November 10 BSE reassignment:

• Minimal→Moderate: Modoc, Siskiyou
• Moderate→Substantial: Amador, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Santa Cruz
• Substantial→Widespread: Sacramento, San Diego, Stanislaus

As of November 10, 2020, a majority of the population is back up to Widespread restrictions.[upper-alpha 1]

November 16 BSE reassignment:[upper-alpha 6]

• Minimal→Moderate: Calaveras, Sierra
• Minimal→Substantial: Humboldt, San Francisco
• Moderate→Substantial: Colusa, Del Norte, Marin, Modoc, Mono, Plumas, San Mateo
• Moderate→Widespread: Alameda, Butte, Napa, Nevada, Santa Clara, Siskiyou, Trinity, Tuolumne
• Substantial→Widespread: Contra Costa, El Dorado, Fresno, Glenn, Kern, Kings, Mendocino, Merced, Orange, Placer, San Benito, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sutter, Ventura, Yolo, Yuba

Effective November 16, the BSE reassignment uses case data from the previous week (as opposed to two weeks ago). The rule prohibiting moving counties up by more than one tier at a time was also dropped.

On November 19, Newsom announced that a curfew—referred to as a "limited stay-at-home order"—would take effect in all counties in the Widespread tier from November 21 to December 21. The order generally restricts all "non-essential work, movement and gatherings" between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. PST nightly.[177][178]

November 24 BSE reassignment:

• Minimal→Moderate: Alpine, Mariposa
• Moderate→Substantial: Calaveras
• Moderate→Widespread: Lassen
• Substantial→Widespread: Colusa, Del Norte, Humboldt
• Substantial→Moderate: Modoc

As of November 24, 2020, every county is under Moderate or higher restrictions.

November 28 BSE reassignment:

• Moderate→Substantial: Alpine, Inyo, Mariposa
• Moderate→Widespread: Modoc
• Substantial→Widespread: Calaveras, Lake, Plumas, San Francisco, San Mateo

December 1 BSE reassignment:

• Substantial→Widespread: Mono

On December 3, Newsom announced a regional stay-at-home order, which divides the state into 5 regions (Northern California, Bay Area, Greater Sacramento, San Joaquin Valley, Southern California). The order will be implemented in any region if the region's ICU capacity falls 15%, and will be in effect for 3 weeks at a time.[179][180][upper-alpha 1][181]

• Northern California (1.73% of population): Del Norte, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Mendocino, Modoc, Shasta, Siskiyou, Tehama, Trinity
• Bay Area (21.38% of population): Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Monterey, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma
• Greater Sacramento (7.45% of population): Alpine, Amador, Butte, Colusa, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, Sierra, Sutter, Yolo, Yuba
• San Joaquin Valley (11.25% of population): Calaveras, Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, San Benito, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Tulare, Tuolumne
• Southern California (58.19% of population): Imperial, Inyo, Los Angeles, Mono, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura

On December 6 at 11:59 p.m., the regional stay-at-home order went into effect for the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California regions.

December 8 BSE reassignment:[upper-alpha 7]

• Substantial→Widespread: Amador, Marin

On December 10 at 11:59 p.m., the regional stay-at-home order went into effect for the Greater Sacramento region.

December 15 BSE reassignment:

• Substantial→Widespread: Inyo

On December 17 at 11:59 p.m., the regional stay-at-home order went into effect for the Bay Area region.

December 22 BSE reassignment: no changes.

December 29 BSE reassignment:

• Widespread→Substantial: Humboldt

In early January, a campaign to recall Newsom over his response to the pandemic was reported to be gaining momentum.[182]

January 5 BSE reassignment: no changes.

January 12 BSE reassignment:

• Substantial→Widespread: Humboldt
• Widespread→Substantial: Trinity

On January 12, the regional stay-at-home order was lifted for the Greater Sacramento region.

January 19 BSE reassignment: no changes.

On January 25, Newsom announced the statewide cancellation of the regional stay-at-home order system.[183][184] The nighttime curfew for Widespread counties was also lifted.

January 26 BSE reassignment: no changes.

February 2 BSE reassignment:

• Substantial→Moderate: Alpine, Trinity

On February 6, the Supreme Court of the United States blocked and revised California's ban on indoor religious worship, with an unsigned order that said the total ban is unconstitutional, but allowing the state to restrict attendance to 25% capacity, and upholding the ban on singing and chanting. The decision was 6–3 in favor.[185]

Education in California has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, while most students in the state have switched to distance learning as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, thousands of them lack laptops and Wi-Fi.[246] By April 10, 2020, a school of 21 students became the only school in the state to remain open.[247] However, by April 29, the school closed indefinitely, making it the last school in the state to do so.[248]

• K–12: On March 17, 2020, the California Department of Education provided guidance for K–12 schools:[249] This includes information regarding: Distance learning,[250] resources that support distance learning,[251] remote learning guidance,[252] designing a high-quality online course,[253] grading and graduation requirements,[254] and internet access;[255] school meals;[256] Special education;[257] child care and student supervision in the event of a school closure; and parent resources. The state also authorized $5.3 billion in the 2020-21 budget for Learning Loss Mitigation Funds, designed to help schools improve teaching and learning and access to virtual school.[258]
• California Community Colleges System (CCCS): California Community Colleges make up the largest system of higher education in the U.S., serving more than 2.1 million students.[259] It, too, has issued guidance regarding Novel Coronavirus 2019.[260] On May 18, Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley said that California's 115 community colleges will likely continue to offer their classes fully online in the fall, noting that many colleges in the system had already announced this intention. Oakley added that he fully encouraged this decision as he believes it "will be the most relevant way for us to continue to reach our students and to do it in a way that commits to maintaining equity for our students."[261]
• California State University (CSU) system: With 23 campuses, the CSU is the largest four-year higher education system in the United States. On March 17, 2020, CSU issued a response to the COVID-19 outbreak, including that "the CSU is following guidance provided by the Centers for Disease Control and the U.S. Department of State".[262] The communication also included information regarding a plan for CSU's 23 campuses to accelerate their transition to online instruction.[263] On May 12, California State University Chancellor Timothy White announced that the CSU system would be offering fall 2020 courses primarily online "with some limited exceptions."[264] For spring 2020 alone, the CSU system is projecting a revenue loss of $337 million due to the pandemic, as a result of losses from student housing, parking and campus bookstores, combined with costs related to cleaning, overtime and the shift to distance education.[264]
• University of California (UC) system: Collectively, the ten colleges, institutions, and alumni of the UC make it the most comprehensive and advanced post-secondary educational system in the world.[265] On April 2, 2020, UC president Janet Napolitano and the chancellors of the 10 campuses gave assurances to UC employees.[266] On April 6, 2020, the UC Health Data Initiative launched daily updates on COVID-19 tests.[267] On the same day, the UC launched a grant program to spur COVID-19 related research.[268] Pertinent information for students, faculty, staff, and community is available for each campus: UC Berkeley,[269] UC Davis,[270] UC Irvine,[271] UCLA,[272] UC Merced,[273] UC Riverside,[274] UC San Diego,[275] UC San Francisco,[276] UC Santa Barbara,[277] and UC Santa Cruz.[278] On May 20, University of California president Janet Napolitano told the UC Board of Regents that "every campus will be open and offering instruction" in fall 2020, adding that she "anticipates that most, if not all of our campuses, will operate in some kind of hybrid mode" involving a mix of online and in-person instruction.[279] From the time that UC campuses shut down in mid-March through the end of April, the UC system experienced a $1.2 billion loss due to the pandemic.[279]

• Alameda County: On March 20, Alameda County officials announced that 247 people would be released from Santa Rita Jail, located in Dublin.[280]
• Los Angeles County: On March 17, the county Sheriff's Department announced that it had reduced the inmate population by 600 during the previous two weeks in an attempt to keep prisoners from being infected by coronavirus.[281]
• Santa Barbara County: As of April 17, 2020, the county jail had released 324 prisoners. The Sheriff announced on a Friday night that one inmate has tested positive for COVID-19.[281]
• San Diego County: On March 16, the Sheriff's Department said it had started reducing the number of people being accepted into the county's seven jails and had received approval for early release of some prisoners. Other measures included in-cell meals, a suspension of visitation, and suspension of jail programs.[282]

On October 11, 2020, an investigation revealed that California's prison factories continued operations even after COVID-19 outbreaks happened in the prisons. Rehab programs, religious services, and educational classes were all stopped, but the prison factories continued operating, where inmates worked for hours without wearing masks.[283]

Various faith organizations claim that social distancing orders issued by the state violate the constitutional right to freedom of religion and assembly. Bans of all gatherings, no matter the size, outside of places of residences put in place by local authorities have also been challenged.[284]

Churches and synagogues with more than 30 members officially closed doors March 12. Most began streaming online. When the quarantine officially began, all congregations were no longer able to gather. Most are holding weekly prayer meetings as well as Saturday or Sunday morning streaming of worship services. Mosques in California have stopped holding Friday prayer congregations.

On March 13, the Catholic Diocese of San Jose in California closed all diocesan schools from until at least April 20. It suspended public Masses and dispensed with the obligation to attend Mass from March 14 until further notice.[285] On March 18, the California Catholic Conference of bishops followed suit, suspending the public celebration of Mass throughout the state until further notice.[286] Many churches are conducting services online during the time of closure.

The United States Supreme Court denied to grant an emergency injunction on Newsom's May orders limiting churches to 25% capacity or 100 persons maximum ahead of the Pentecost on May 31. The denial was decided on a 5–4 vote, with Chief Justice John Roberts joining the four liberal Justices in denying the order by stating that "Although California's guidelines place restrictions on places of worship, those restrictions appear consistent with the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment. Similar or more severe restrictions apply to comparable secular gatherings, including lectures, concerts, movie showings, spectator sports, and theatrical performances, where large groups of people gather in close proximity for extended periods of time."[287]

In two ongoing cases, the Supreme Court granted two orders on February 5, 2021 that enjoined the state from banning religious services in the Tier 1 areas, though agreed that the state may limit capacity to 25% of the church and can ban singing and chanting under the pandemic conditions. The orders found that California may have reason to restrict capacity, but they cannot restrict that capacity to zero, and that California has shown unequal treatment of religious groups compared to other industries, particularly Hollywood.[288]

Sacramento Kings players shoot around after their March 11 game against New Orleans is postponed

The first U.S. sports cancellations attributed to the pandemic occurred in California; in accordance with a local health emergency in Riverside County, the 2020 BNP Paribas Open tennis tournaments at Indian Wells were postponed on March 8, 2020.[289][290]

After Santa Clara County banned all large gatherings larger than 1,000 people for a three-week period beginning March 11, the San Jose Sharks of the NHL and the Golden State Warriors of the NBA announced that all of their remaining home games of the regular season would be played behind closed doors with no spectators. With their game on March 12 against the Brooklyn Nets, the Warriors were to be the first professional sports team in the United States to play a home game behind closed doors due to the pandemic.[291][292][293] However, on March 11, after Utah Jazz players tested positive for COVID-19, the NBA suspended its regular season, and almost all other professional sports leagues and college athletics programs followed suit over the days that followed.[294]

On March 16, the CCCAA also canceled the remainder of the winter seasons as well as the spring seasons. They also restored a season of eligibility to those athletes who had already participated in the early season of spring sports.[295] On the same day, the NAIA cancelled their spring season as well.[296]

At the high school level, the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) canceled the basketball state championship tournament after the Northern California and Southern California semifinals. During the tournament, Sheldon, Archbishop Riordan, and the Menlo School withdrew from the tournament after their schools were shut down. The CIF gave their reevaluation of the situation on April 3 and cancelled all spring sports.[297][298]

In motorsports, the NASCAR Cup Series canceled the 2020 Toyota/Save Mart 350 in Sonoma, as Sonoma County would not allow sporting events and any other mass gathering to occur at that time.[299] The IndyCar Series was required to cancel the 2020 Grand Prix of Long Beach,[300] and the Monterey Grand Prix (which had initially been rescheduled as a twin race weekend to make up for other cancelled races).[301] In December 2020, it was announced that NASCAR's 2021 race weekend (including the Cup Series Auto Club 400) at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana would be canceled (with the race weekend moved to Daytona International Speedway's road course). Accordingly, a planned reconstruction of the track was also postponed to 2022 [302] It was also announced that the 2021 IndyCar Series schedule would be modified to move the Grand Prix of Long Beach from April to September as the season finale, with organizers stating that this would "afford us the best opportunity to provide our guests with a fun and exciting experience in a safe and unrestricted environment."[303]

The Pac-12 Conference (which includes several universities in California) delayed its college football season to November, and all games were closed to the public.[304] On December 19, 2020, it was announced that the 2021 Rose Bowl (a College Football Playoff semi-final game) would be re-located from Pasadena to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas due to the current surge in local cases, and inability to invite the famlies of players as spectators. It is the first time since 1942 (due to wartime restrictions on public gatherings on the west coast following the Pearl Harbor attack) that the Rose Bowl will not be held in Pasadena.[305][306]

As of April 8, 2020, over the preceding three weeks, California had processed over 2.4 million applications for unemployment assistance.[307]

A survey conducted April 17 found that fewer than half of the residents of Los Angeles County were employed, although some of this unemployment was supposed to be temporary.[308]

Several employers across the state are switched to WFH norm to avoid further COVID-19 outbreaks. In August, California State University (CSU) has released nationwide remote opportunities to benefit the citizens during the unemployment crisis.[309][310]

In January 2020, California expected a $5.6 billion surplus in the state budget by the time the fiscal year ended on June 30.[311] In May, however, the Department of Finance changed its projection, saying that the state would instead have a deficit of $54.3 billion. Some of this shortfall was caused by expenses for COVID-19 response (an unanticipated $7.1 billion for health programs and an additional $6 billion for other types of responses), but most was caused by the expectation that tax revenue—personal income, corporate, and sales—will be one-quarter lower than originally projected.[312][313]

As of February 4, 2021, California has administered 3,984,752 COVID-19 vaccine doses, equivalent to 10.08 doses per 100 people. 7.8% of the population has received their first dose, and 1.6% has been fully vaccinated. 61.9% of the state's supply has been used.[314]

List source:[315]

• DPH MPOD - Balboa Sports Complex (Moderna) (34.174309°N 118.503311°W / 34.174309; -118.503311)
• Mega POD 2 – The Forum (Pfizer) (33.958302°N 118.341873°W / 33.958302; -118.341873)

• HHSA CRPHC VIP COVID 19 (32.700910°N 117.125850°W / 32.700910; -117.125850)
• HHSA ERPHC COVID 19 (32.798721°N 116.960800°W / 32.798721; -116.960800)
• HHSA IMPERIAL BEACH COVID 19 (32.576520°N 117.115800°W / 32.576520; -117.115800)
• HHSA TUBMAN CHAVEZ COVID 19 (32.712370°N 117.084970°W / 32.712370; -117.084970)