Orange County has been in the Yellow “Minimal” Tier of the State’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy since late May, with an average daily case rate per 100,000 residents of just 0.8, and OC’s test positivity rate is 0.7%, a tenth of a point lower than the state average. More than half of California’s counties are still in the Orange “Moderate” Tier, including neighboring Riverside and San Bernardino, and 3 northern counties have yet to emerge from the Red “Substantial” Tier.

Even so, on June 15 California is expected to “move beyond” the state’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy, officially lifting restrictions on both capacity and physical distancing for most activities and businesses. Fully vaccinated individuals will no longer be required to wear face coverings except in the following places where masks are required for everyone: public transit, K-12 schools, childcare and youth settings, healthcare settings and long-term care facilities, state and local correctional and detention centers, and homeless and emergency shelters and cooling centers.

According to the California Dept. of Public Health, “In settings where masks are required only for unvaccinated individuals,” businesses may choose to allow those vaccinated to “self-attest” their status or they may require verification of a patron’s vaccination status to determine who must wear a mask. Alternatively, businesses may simply continue to “require all patrons to wear masks.” CDPH adds, “No person can be prevented from wearing a mask as a condition of participation in an activity or entry into a business.”

Cal/OSHA, the state Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board, has not yet determined how workplace mask requirements will change. The Board is set to meet on June 17 to address the standards, but has the rest of June to release its decision. Consequently, mask-wearing rules for workers in California are not expected to change until at least the end of June.

Locally, The City of Fullerton is in a “holding pattern,” according to Interim Deputy City Manager Christa Johnson, and will not reopen facilities until the Cal/OSHA decision has been made. However, the City Council is being asked on June 15 to approve a move of the Wednesday Farmers Market from the Library parking lot after June 30, in anticipation of the Library’s full reopening in the near future.

Through October 1, there will still be some COVID-19 mitigation measures required for “mega events” of more than 5,000 indoor attendees or 10,000 outdoor, which are considered more of a transmission risk because large numbers of strangers, possibly from far-flung places, are gathered together in close proximity potentially for hours at a time, increasing the risk of transmission and making contact tracing difficult. For such events verification of full vaccination or a “pre-entry” negative COVID-19 test will be required for indoor events and strongly recommended for outdoor ones. Additionally attendees must follow CDPH face coverings guidance.