Next Phase of Pandemic Response: Gov. Newsom Winds Down Executive Orders

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom Feb 25, took action to lift all but five percent of COVID-19 related executive order provisions, while maintaining critical measures that support the state’s ongoing response and recovery efforts.

The remaining provisions include maintaining California’s nation-leading testing and vaccination programs and protecting hospital and health facility capacity, key components of the state’s SMARTER Plan to guide California’s evolving pandemic response with a focus on continued readiness, awareness and flexibility.

Prior to this action, only 15% of COVID executive actions remained in effect, in keeping with the process the Governor established in June 2021 to scale back provisions as they cease to be necessary. Under the order signed by the Governor Feb 25, 19 of the remaining provisions are terminated immediately, with an additional 18 to be lifted on March 31 and 15 to expire on June 30 to ensure that impacted individuals and entities have time to prepare for the changes. As part of the state’s SMARTER Plan, the Governor will continue this focus on lifting additional provisions as they are no longer needed for the ongoing pandemic response.

Seventeen of the executive actions still in effect remain critical to bolstering the state’s COVID-19 testing and vaccination programs and preventing potential strain on the health care delivery system, including:

COVID Testing –Four provisions provide flexibility critical to support the state’s testing program, which under the SMARTER Plan will need to continue being able to process at least 500,000 tests per day. For example, through executive action the Governor has waived a provision that would require a health care professional to review each test result before it was released electronically to patients, and expanded scopes of practice for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to conduct COVID tests.

Vaccinations and Boosters – Two provisions provide critical flexibility to support the state’s vaccination and booster programs, which under the SMARTER Plan will need to continue being able to distribute at least 200,000 doses per day. This includes waiving licensing requirements temporarily to enable pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to administer COVID vaccines and waiving requirements so that the state can offer mobile vaccine clinics.   

Protecting Hospital Capacity and Vulnerable Populations – There are 11 provisions that are necessary to protect both capacity in our health care delivery system and vulnerable populations, particularly during COVID surges. This includes provisions allowing health care workers from out of state to provide services in California and enabling the Department of Developmental Services to provide remote and expanded nonresidential services for more clients.  

The other 13 remaining provisions ensure COVID workplace safety standards remain aligned with the most current public health guidance and evidence, and provide important flexibility to state and local agencies to administer the emergency response while the state of emergency remains open.     

A copy of the order rolling back additional COVID-19 related executive actions can be found here