Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a plan Thursday making California the first state to move toward an “endemic” approach to the coronavirus pandemic.
This approach concentrates on making the COVID-19 virus manageable for communities to live with as more people become fully vaccinated.
Almost 83% of California residents are vaccinated as of Tuesday, according to the California government tracking COVID-19 webpage.
“We are moving past the crisis phase into a phase where we will work to live with this virus,” Newsom said in a Thursday press conference.
Shahbaz Mansahia, San Jose State international student and software engineering graduate student, said he approves of the state’s endemic approach.
“I’m kind of glad that it’s happening because it’s a symbol for a return to normalcy to a certain extent and looking at the vaccination rates within,” he said. “I don’t know about California, but at least in the Bay Area . . . we’re moving to a world after the pandemic to a certain extent.”
Newsom’s administration developed a name representative of key elements in the endemic approach: SMARTER. The acronym stands for shots, masks, awareness, readiness, testing, education, and Rx, which refers to the improvement of COVID-19 treatments, according to a Thursday ABC news article.
The plan outlines specific goals including supplying 75 million masks, providing up to 200,000 vaccinations and 500,000 tests daily in the event of a COVID-19 outbreak, according to the ABC article.
In accordance with Newsom’s plan, 3,000 medical workers will be added to areas experiencing a COVID-19 surge within three weeks, according to the same article.
$1.9 million has been approved to increase hospital staffing and increase COVID-19 vaccination and testing distribution. Another $1.7 billion included in the plan will be used to improve laboratory testing capacity, data collection, and investigations regarding outbreaks according to the same article.
California lifted its mask mandate on Feb. 16, however Santa Clara County did not lift its local indoor masking requirements, according to a county press release.
Kenneth Mashinchi, SJSU senior director of strategic communications and media relations, said the university will continue to comply with state and county public health guidelines, including the indoor mask mandate.
“As we transition into an endemic approach to COVID-19, it is imperative we continue to follow safety measures, like washing our hands and staying home when we feel sick, and get vaccinated with the booster shot," Mashinchi said.
Shahbaz Mansahia said he feels the state’s endemic approach doesn’t change the university’s approach to COVID-19 protocols after classes returned to in-person instruction on Feb. 14.
“I don’t think it means much for this semester at least because we are following the masking protocols, if you’re going to class wearing masks and stuff,” Mansahia said. “There’s been a drive on most university campuses to get people either vaccinated or to get regularly tested if they are unvaccinated. For now, it doesn’t change much besides the fact that you can see a return to normalcy on the horizon for the university.”
