Current safety measures
Last updated September 23, 2021 at 10:45 AM
Thanks to millions of vaccinations, California’s economy is open. There are no county tiers, capacity limits, or physical distancing requirements. But COVID-19 has not gone away. To safely go about our daily lives, we need to keep taking steps to prevent the spread.
On this page:
What to do now
Do what it takes to stay safe until COVID-19 is under control. Use these tools to reduce the risk of infection.
Vaccinations
If you’re 12 or older, get vaccinated. It’s our best tool to end the pandemic. Vaccination is safe, effective, and free.
Masks
Wear a mask to keep from spreading the virus to those with no defense, like the immune-compromised and children under 12.
Testing
Get tested for COVID-19 if you may have been exposed. It’s free and confidential for everyone in California.
Exposure notifications
Turn on exposure notifications in your Apple or Android phone. CA Notify can then alert you if you’ve been near someone who tested positive.
Education and childcare
As kids return to in-person learning, find out requirements for masking, vaccinating, and testing.
Workplace safety
Employers are responsible for keeping the work environment safe. See the state’s rules and standards to support this.
Mega-events
Mega-events are indoor events with 1,000 or more people and outdoor events with 10,000 or more people. Attendee rules apply for each.
Travel
Keep California healthy and our communities open by following CDC travel guidelines.
Do’s and don’ts for daily life
Protect yourself and others by keeping these common-sense safety steps in mind.
Do
- Get vaccinated
- Wear a mask where required, in public indoor spaces, and on public transit
- Turn on exposure notifications on your phone
- Get tested if you’re sick
- Honor mask rules in place at a private business
- Get tested if required by your workplace
- Wear a mask when you travel
Don’t
- Lose your proof of vaccination
- Think you can’t get the virus or pass it on because you feel well
- Assume everyone is vaccinated
- Expect all COVID-19 rules everywhere to be lifted
- Travel into the U.S. without proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test
- Attend large events if you’re sick
- Travel if you’re sick
Read the CDC’s How to Protect Yourself and Others and CDPH’s COVID-19 Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People.
Past restrictions
Reopening California
California has moved Beyond the Blueprint to safely and fully reopen the economy.
As of June 15, 2021, the Governor terminated the executive orders that put into place the Stay Home Order and the Blueprint for a Safer Economy. He also phased out the vast majority of executive actions put in place since March 2020 as part of the pandemic response, leaving a subset of provisions that facilitate the ongoing recovery.
The public health order effective June 15 supersedes all prior health orders. The order has limited restrictions, only related to masking and mega-events, as well as settings serving children and youth.
Restrictions that ended on June 15 include:
- Physical distancing
- Capacity limits on businesses
- County tier system
Read the Governor’s orders N-07-21 and N-08-21. Find details in CDPH’s Beyond the Blueprint for Industry and Business Sectors and the Beyond the Blueprint Questions and Answers.
Retiring the Blueprint map
Under the old Blueprint for a Safer Economy framework, every California county was assigned to a risk-level tier. Based on their positivity rate, adjusted case rate, and/or health equity metric (for counties with populations more than 106,000), counties faced varying degrees of activity and capacity restrictions. The weekly status was shown on a map with four tier colors: purple, red, orange, and yellow.
The Blueprint framework was California’s reality from August 2020 to June 2021, but it is no longer in effect. You can find the latest data about your county on the State Dashboard.
See how tier restrictions were assigned and changed, as well as historical county data at CDPH’s Blueprint Data Archive.