State Reopens June 15 with Vaccinations Up, and Infections Down
San Bernardino County, along with the rest of the state, will fully reopen its economy on June 15 — eliminating various restrictions and saying farewell to the color-coded county tier system we’ve been living under for the past several months.
Beginning next Tuesday, everyday life here will largely return to pre-COVID norms. Restaurants, bars, retail stores, theaters, hotels and entertainment centers may return to usual operations — meaning no capacity limitations and no requirements for social distancing.
All of California's restrictions on travel outside the state will be lifted, and the state says it is not considering creating a vaccine passport.
“This is a day we’ve all been waiting for,” said Board of Supervisors Chairman Curt Hagman. “While we have been through one of the most challenging periods in our County’s history, I’m very proud of the way we’ve pulled together as a community — with everyone from hospital workers and grocery clerks to local business owners working together to protect each other and overcome this pandemic.”
The question of masks
On June 15, California will align with the revised mask guidelines recently announced by the CDC. This states: “Fully vaccinated people can resume activities without wearing a mask or physically distancing, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance.”
This means while fully vaccinated individuals won’t need to wear face coverings in most indoor and outdoor settings, they will still be required to wear a mask on planes, buses, trains, airports and transportation stations. Other places where vaccinated people will still need to wear masks, include health care settings, prisons, homeless shelters and schools. In addition, private businesses may choose to continue requiring facial coverings.
And of course, anyone is free to wear a mask anytime they’d like, especially when around children and others who are vulnerable or not yet eligible for vaccination.
Unvaccinated or partially vaccinated individuals will still be required to wear facial coverings outside of their home. Unvaccinated Californians, can only take off their masks in public when they're outside and can maintain 6 feet of distance with others.
The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, better known as Cal/OSHA, is still mulling what the masking rules will be for workplaces in the state starting on Tuesday.
Also, what the state deems “mega events” — outdoor live events attended by more than 10,000 people and indoor events with 5,000 or more attendees — still face some restrictions. Those attending indoor events must either be vaccinated or have recently achieved a negative COVID-19 test. The same guidelines are recommended (though not mandated) for outdoor events. Businesses and venue operators may require proof or self-attestation at point of registration, during ticket purchase or on the day of the event prior to entry into the venue. The mega event requirements will remain in place until October 1.
Helpful Info and Links for Friends and Family Needing a Vaccination
Readers of our County Update know we have tried to keep our residents up-to-date on where and how to get a COVID-19 vaccine. We are providing this convenient reference that can be copied and shared with anyone needing help finding where to receive this life saving vaccination.
County-operated stationary sites
The County continues to operate 14 ongoing stationary vaccination clinics that are open (unless noted otherwise below) Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. All sites accept walk-ins. Anyone can pre-register for their visit by visiting MyTurn.CA.gov. Every clinic offers the Pfizer vaccine (ages 12+ with a parent or guardian present with minors). And beginning this week, the Jessie Turner Community Center in Fontana will be open late until 8 p.m.!
- Bloomington, Ayala Park Community Center (18313 Valley Blvd.)
- Fontana, Jessie Turner Health & Fitness Community Center Gym (15556 Summit Ave) *open late from noon to 8 p.m.
- Hesperia, Hesperia Health Center (16453 Bear Valley Rd.)
*only open until 5 p.m.
- Joshua Tree, Joshua Tree Community Center (6171 Sunburst St)
- Montclair, Montclair Place (5060 E North Montclair Plaza Lane)
- Ontario, Ontario Convention Center (2000 E. Convention Center Way)
- Rancho Cucamonga, Inland Empire Health Plan (10801 6th St.)
- Rancho Cucamonga, Rancho Cucamonga Sports Complex (8303 Rochester Ave.)
- Rialto, ARMC Family Health Center – Westside Clinic (850 E. Foothill Blvd.)
*Drive-in! Wednesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Rialto, Grace Vargas Senior Center (1411 S. Riverside Ave.)
- San Bernardino, National Orange Show Event Center Dome (467 W Mill Street)
- San Bernardino, Arroyo Valley High School (1881 West Baseline St.)
- Victorville, Hook Community Center (14973 Joshua St.)
- Yucaipa, Yucaipa Senior Center (12202 1st St.)
Hospitals, clinics and pharmacies
There are hundreds of hospitals, health centers, clinics and pharmacies throughout the County offering vaccinations. Individuals can use the County website or go through their physician groups associated with Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, Loma Linda University Health, San Antonio Regional Hospital, Mountains Community Hospital, Redlands Community Hospital, Bear Valley Community Healthcare or the San Bernardino Clinics. An appointment is always welcome and encouraged for any vaccination. For hospitals, clinics and County-run sites, use MyTurn.CA.gov
In addition, Moderna vaccines are being given at the San Bernardino County Health Centers in San Bernardino, Ontario, Hesperia and Adelanto. For clinic locations, visit the County Public Health Clinic website or call 1-800-722-4777.
Finally, there are participating pharmacies administering doses throughout the county, including Albertsons, Costco, Ralphs, Rite-Aid, Sav-On, Vons, Walgreens and Walmart, as well as many independent pharmacies. Individuals should check directly with their preferred, neighborhood pharmacy, or again, check the list at vaccines.gov.
Special Events and Mobile Pop-ups Vaccine Clinics in our Community
Use our interactive mobile map to find both ongoing stationary vaccine sites and mobile special vaccine events being held throughout the county. Special event vaccine clinics are also listed on our County vaccine page.
“Operation Sneakers and Vaccine Speakers” Canvassing Campaign Hitting 42 Targeted Neighborhoods
The County has launched a hyperlocal outreach campaign largely focusing on residents in traditionally underserved communities. The campaign, dubbed “Operation Sneakers and Vaccine Speakers,” features several street teams that are canvassing areas where residents have been at most risk of COVID-19 infection.
Operation Sneakers is designed to bring bilingual information and facts about the COVID-19 vaccines to residents, and early results are already showing that many people appreciate the opportunity to talk about the safety and efficacy of the vaccines before making the decision to get protected. On just their first day, the teams reported more than 1,598 positive interactions and conversations with the community.
“We want to make sure people understand that getting vaccinated is both easy and convenient,” said Board of Supervisors Chairman Curt Hagman. “Residents will learn that vaccination sites are now located literally just down the street, in their neighborhood. We’ll even provide transportation to those who need it. Plus, the shots are absolutely free and there is no requirement for insurance coverage.”
Some of the locations being canvassed include neighborhoods, shopping centers, schools, parks, libraries and even supermarkets. The campaign will run through mid-June.
All County vaccination sites are staffed by public health professionals and others well-versed in the issues surrounding COVID-19 and the vaccines. Spanish-speaking representatives are on hand to support communications with non-English speaking residents.
Metrolink Offers Free Tickets as Incentive to Get Vaccinated
Building on a campaign to vaccinate Metrolink riders at different stations in San Bernardino County, those riders choosing to get a vaccine dose will now also receive a free, one-day roundtrip ticket valued at $20. The program will be running at different stations through July.
Metrolink will be providing Pfizer COVID-19 vaccinations from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Montclair, Upland and Fontana stations through June 12 and second dose appointments will be made when the first dose is administered. The Pfizer or the Johnson & Johnson one-dose vaccine will be offered at these locations.
From June 15 through June 19, participating stations will be Rialto, Downtown San Bernardino, and San Bernardino Santa Fe Depot stations. More stations, as well as nearby bus depots, will be announced later.
“This is a great opportunity for busy commuters and anyone who lives near these stations to protect themselves and those they care about from COVID-19,” said Board of Supervisors Chairman Curt Hagman.
County Wins National Awards for COVID-19 Pandemic Response
Innovative public service programs, many of them aimed at addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, earned San Bernardino County a record 60 National Association of Counties 2021 Achievement Awards, the most awards won since 2019 when the County claimed 52 NACo awards.
A majority of the NACo Achievement Awards recognized programs and resources that helped our residents during the global COVID-19 pandemic and vaccination effort, including this County Update, which promoted the #SBCountyTogether bilingual public information and outreach campaign. The COVID-Compliant Business Partnership Program, the COVID-19 data dashboard, the nursing home task force, and our alternative care sites also won NACo awards.
The County Public Health Department and its staff, who were on the front lines of the battle against COVID-19, won 14 of the awards, the most of any County department. The Public Health data team developed and maintain the COVID-19 data dashboard, which shows daily information on COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, deaths, the status of the virus in the county’s cities and towns and schools along with testing and vaccination metrics.
Three County departments, the County Administrative Office, the Economic Development Department and the Innovation and Technology Department, won awards for the COVID-Compliant Business Partnership Program, which provided $30 million in CARES Act funding to help local businesses and nonprofits comply with COVID-19 health orders to keep their employees and customers safe.
“I am extremely proud of our County staff for being creative and using technology to get our residents and businesses through these past 15 months,” said Board of Supervisors Chairman Curt Hagman. “County staff worked long hours through a lot of uncertainty to try to get ahead of the virus and keep us all safe. I am pleased to see the great work they do each and every day recognized on the national stage.”
A full list of the County’s NACo Awards may be viewed here.
Sheriff Update on Inmates and Employees Testing Positive for COVID
A total of 1,003 County jail inmates have tested positive for COVID-19 since the outbreak of the pandemic, and all of the inmates have recovered.
A total of 1,034 department employees have tested positive for COVID-19 and 1,026 of the employees have recovered from the virus. Other employees are expected to return to work in the next few weeks. It is unknown when or where the employees were infected with the virus. The department continues to encourage all department members to heed the warnings of health officials.
Latest Stats
298,808 Confirmed Cases (up 0% from the previous day)
4,591 Deaths (up 0.2% from the previous day)
3,301,594 Tests (up 0.1% from the previous day)
For more statistics from the COVID-19 Surveillance Dashboard, click the desktop or mobile tab on the County’s sbcovid19.com website.
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