California’s COVID-19 state of emergency is slated to end on Feb. 28, 2023, after nearly three years since the emergency was declared.
Governor Gavin Newsom had initially ordered a state of emergency during the pandemic's peak in 2020. The state government's move was to pull resources into fighting the pandemic.
It also gave Governor Gavin Newsom the powers to make decisions that affected the whole state, such as dictating masking, vaccination mandates, and stay-at-home orders.
Also, during the zenith of the state of emergency, different no-bid contracts were awarded to companies. Most of these companies were responsible for delivering some of the materials used in Covid-19 testing and treatment.
The total value of the contracts that have been awarded has reached a figure of $12 billion, and there have been controversies about companies that failed to fulfill their contracts.
According to data provided by the state, about 95,000 people have died from Covid-19 complications.
However, after three years of enacting the state of emergency order, pressure has been upon the state government to remove the Covid-19 state of emergency.
In a press release, the state governor, Governor Gavin Newsom, said that the state of emergency declared in 2020 was very effective in fighting down the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
He says, "Throughout the pandemic, we’ve been guided by the science and data – moving quickly and strategically to save lives. The State of Emergency was an effective and necessary tool that we utilized to protect our state, and we wouldn’t have gotten to this point without it. With the operational preparedness we’ve built up and the measures we’ll continue to employ moving forward, California is ready to phase out this tool."
Press outlets have not gotten the names of those who met to decide the new California state of an emergency end date.
Tensions have been mounting to end the state of emergency in California for a long time. Many Republican senators even voted for Governor Gavin Newsom's powers to be overturned during the Senate emergency meeting in March.
However, the action by the Republican senators met a roadblock as their resolution was voted down 8-4.
Governor Newsom Wants a Stable Covid-19 Testing and Treatment Capacity
Governor Gavin Newsom is already taking action to ensure that California’s COVID-19 testing and treatment capacity does not break down.
After the midterm elections, the governor will look forward to making some statutory changes to preserve California’s COVID-19 laboratory testing and therapeutics treatment capacity.
According to the press release on the government website, the governor will look forward to nurses' ability to dispense COVID-19 therapeutics and the ability of laboratory workers to process COVID-19 tests solely.
From what the Secretary of the California Health & Human Services Agency, Dr. Mark Ghaly, said, the California government is prepared for any setbacks that may happen in the future.
"California’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic has prepared us for whatever comes next. As we move into this next phase, the infrastructure and processes we’ve invested in and built up will provide us the tools to manage any ups and downs in the future," Ghaly said.
After the new California state of the emergency end date was announced, the government plans to have some measures in place to ensure that there's no relapse.