California reopens, says goodbye to many COVID-19 rules

California, the first state in America to put in place a corona virus lockdown, is now turning a full page on the pandemic. At the stroke of midnight, California is lifting the majority of its COVID-19 restrictions and ushering in what has been billed as the state's "Grand Reopening".

Starting Tuesday (Jun 15), you will have forget about state rules on social distancing, no more limits on capacity at restaurants, bars, supermarkets, gyms, stadiums or somewhere else. And masks - just about the most symbolic and fraught symbols of the pandemic - will no longer be mandated for vaccinated persons generally in most settings, though businesses and counties can still require them. Just in time for summer, California really wants to send the message that life in the Golden State is getting much nearer to normal. The economy is fully reopening for the very first time in 15 months and persons can largely go back to pre-pandemic lifestyles. Fans can cheer mask-less at Dodgers and Giants games. Disneyland is throwing its doors available to all tourists after allowing just California residents. People can pack indoor bars and nightclubs from the Sunset Strip in LA to the Castro in San Francisco. "With all due respect, eat your heart out, the rest of the United States. There is absolutely no state in America which has more," Governor Gavin Newsom said on the eve of the reopening. "The state is not simply poised to recuperate, it's poised to come roaring back."

To mark the reopening, Newsom can make a few lucky residents millionaires. In a made-for-TV main event, the governor will draw 10 names of residents who've received at least one vaccine dose and award each one US$1.5 million. The drawing may be the grand finale to the country's most significant vaccine incentive, US$116 million in a COVID-19 vaccine lottery. Winners can accumulate the money after they are fully vaccinated.