California virus rules ease as vaccine eligibility loosens

March 30, 2021 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — California health officials are expected to announce on Tuesday additional counties that can allow more businesses to reopen more business and permit more recreational activities, amid low coronavirus case and hospitalization rates and increased vaccinations.

While health officials across the country are urging caution because of a surge in new cases of COVID-19, aquariums and amusement parks are on track to reopen in California.

The typically crowded Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk reopens on Thursday, while Universal Studios Hollywood plans to reopen April 16. The Monterey Bay Aquarium will follow in May.

Meanwhile, California is expanding vaccine eligibility to people 50 and older starting Thursday and to all adults on April 15.

The San Francisco Bay Area county of Contra Costa announced Tuesday that vaccines are now available for residents age 16 and older, saying it has thousands of vaccine appointments available at its community clinics this week because of increased supply from the state and federal governments. The county has about 1.2 million people.

Contra Costa County Health Director Anna Roth announced the change at the county’s Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday. The move should expand eligibility to more people who work in the county plus an additional 375,000 residents, according to a statement from county officials.

The county recently received extra doses for its federally qualified health centers — a windfall that has not yet benefited all of the state’s counties. Last week, Contra Costa County opened up appointments to people 50 and older.

“Governor Gavin Newsom announced last week that his goal was to move the state quickly through the eligibility tiers,” Roth said. “We agree and applaud this goal. We have appointments to fill. By expanding eligibility now, we can ensure that no appointments go unused.”

Statewide, more than 6 million people in the state of nearly 40 million are fully inoculated and more than 17 million doses have been administered.