VA Deputy Secretary Donald Remy and VA Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs Matt Quinn unveiled the dedication plaque for the cremains-only expansion to Crown Hill National Cemetery during a July 1 ceremony.

“This new facility will serve as a place of honored repose for Indiana Veterans for the next 100 years or more,” Remy said. “We know Hoosiers have served our nation with dedication and courage since before Indiana even entered the union. It is only fitting we recognize their service and sacrifice with a lasting memorial like that at Crown Hill.”

The columbarium, which will cover 15 acres of ground, is expected to serve a population of more than 214,000 Veterans, their spouses and eligible children within a 75-mile radius of Indianapolis. It is an annex to the nearby historic Crown Hill National Cemetery, which opened in 1866 and contains just over 2,000 gravesites on 2.5 acres.

The historic cemetery is located inside the boundaries of the privately-owned Crown Hill Cemetery. It reached full capacity and was closed to most interments in 1959, though subsequent interments of family members in the same gravesite have taken place since then.

Construction on the first phase of the columbarium began June 2021 at a cost of $15.75M and provides more than 3,400 above-ground columbarium niches for inurnments and space for more than 370 memorial plaques. Subsequent phases will be completed in coming decades until the final planned capacity of more than 36,000 niches is reached.

The Crown Hill columbarium is the second to be completed under the National Cemetery Administration’s Urban Initiative program. The program improves access to Veteran burial benefits in certain urban areas through the construction of columbaria based on established criteria.

Contact Crown Hill National Cemetery for more details. For information on VA burial benefits or to apply for burial benefits in advance of need visit VA’s National Cemetery Administration.

Photos and video of the dedication can be found on the National Cemetery Administration’s Facebook site.

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VA Deputy Secretary Donald Remy and VA Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs Matt Quinn unveiled the dedication plaque for the cremains-only expansion to Crown Hill National Cemetery during a July 1 ceremony.

“This new facility will serve as a place of honored repose for Indiana Veterans for the next 100 years or more,” Remy said. “We know Hoosiers have served our nation with dedication and courage since before Indiana even entered the union. It is only fitting we recognize their service and sacrifice with a lasting memorial like that at Crown Hill.”

The columbarium, which will cover 15 acres of ground, is expected to serve a population of more than 214,000 Veterans, their spouses and eligible children within a 75-mile radius of Indianapolis. It is an annex to the nearby historic Crown Hill National Cemetery, which opened in 1866 and contains just over 2,000 gravesites on 2.5 acres.

The historic cemetery is located inside the boundaries of the privately-owned Crown Hill Cemetery. It reached full capacity and was closed to most interments in 1959, though subsequent interments of family members in the same gravesite have taken place since then.

Construction on the first phase of the columbarium began June 2021 at a cost of $15.75M and provides more than 3,400 above-ground columbarium niches for inurnments and space for more than 370 memorial plaques. Subsequent phases will be completed in coming decades until the final planned capacity of more than 36,000 niches is reached.

The Crown Hill columbarium is the second to be completed under the National Cemetery Administration’s Urban Initiative program. The program improves access to Veteran burial benefits in certain urban areas through the construction of columbaria based on established criteria.

Contact Crown Hill National Cemetery for more details. For information on VA burial benefits or to apply for burial benefits in advance of need visit VA’s National Cemetery Administration.

Photos and video of the dedication can be found on the National Cemetery Administration’s Facebook site.

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NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. says that it’s inviting the global community to visit now that the government has ended the ban on travelers from 33 countries.

In reality, however, it will still be difficult — if not impossible — for much of the globe to enter the country and experts say it will take years for travel to fully recover.

For starters, half the world isn’t vaccinated and therefore doesn’t meet the U.S. requirement for visiting foreigners. So while many Europeans may now be able to come in, people from poorer countries where vaccines are scarce remain cut off, with limited exceptions.

For some public health experts, that raises ethical questions about the policy.

“The concern is not limiting access based on vaccination status,” said Nancy Kass, deputy director of public health in the Berman Institute of Bioethics at Johns Hopkins University. “It is that it’s systemically making it impossible for people, generally from poor countries, whose governments have been unable to secure anything near the supply they need, to be able to come and see their loved ones.”

Even if you’ve gotten the jab, that might not be good enough. Non-immigrant adults need to have received vaccines authorized by the Food and Drug Administration or which received an emergency use listing from the World Health Organization, otherwise they, too, are prohibited from entering the U.S. That sidelines anyone who’s received Russia’s Sputnik V or the China-produced CanSino jab.

Then there are the months-long delays in some places to get a visa. The U.S. Travel Association says that, on average, there’s a six-month visitor visa appointment backlog as many U.S. consulates and embassies have yet to resume normal operations. Meanwhile, other countries have their own strict rules, which complicates foreign travel.

Experts do expect a wave of travelers at U.S. airports, which will go a long way to boost the overall industry. The 28 European countries that up until Monday were barred under the U.S. policy made up 37% of overseas visitors in 2019, the U.S. Travel Association says.

Travelport, which analyzes airline bookings data, says that by region, the greatest number of international travelers to the U.S. since mid-2020 has come from Latin America, but new travelers booking flights since late September, when the Biden administration said it would end the travel bans, are mainly European. The reopening of the land borders with Canada and Mexico should also help restore travel, since they are typically the top two sources of international visitors to the U.S.

But the U.S. Travel Association predicted in June that international travel would not return to 2019 levels of nearly 80 million visitors until 2024. Foreign travelers dropped to 19 million in 2020 and is expected to rise a bit this year, to more than 26 million; it will more than double, to about 57 million, in 2022 but still fall far short of its pre-pandemic heights.

The U.S. isn’t alone in trying to jump-start travel as more people get vaccinated. Some countries that closed their borders have begun easing back, like Australia, India and Thailand; Europe opened its doors to Americans months ago.

Others, like China and Japan, remain essentially closed, which makes it difficult for their own citizens to leave and come back because of mandatory quarantines. In 2019, the two countries were among the top five biggest sources of overseas visitors to the U.S., along with the U.K., South Korea and Brazil, according to U.S. government data.

Sylvia Li, who is from China and lives in the U.S., just married her partner in a small ceremony in New York a few weeks ago without her family there because she had no idea when they’d be able to come or when she’d be able to go to China.

“I was able to convince them, it’s really nothing, it’s just a party,” Li said. But her mom didn’t fall for it. “I think my mom felt she was missing out. She felt like she was actually missing something big.”

Edgar Orozco, who owns two restaurants, both called Chelito’s, in El Paso, Texas, was excited for the land border with Mexico to reopen on Monday, and he hopes that helps fill the streets of downtown El Paso with shoppers — and customers at his restaurants — this holiday season, unlike last year, when he said streets were empty.

“Now that non-essential travelers are going to be able to come back, we’re looking forward to going back to those good old days,” he said.

But he’s heard of people who have visa issues, like a vendor in Mexico who he says can’t renew his visa until 2023. The appointment wait time for a U.S. visitor visa in Cuidad Juarez, just across the border from El Paso, is 676 days, or nearly two years, according to the State Department.

In New York, the country’s biggest tourist destination, businesses are gearing up for more international travelers. Hudson Yards, a shopping complex, is expanding its concierge services to include a wider array of foreign languages. City Experiences, a tour company that sends ferries to the Statue of Liberty and other sites, is increasing marketing abroad.

In the past two weeks, 75% of new bookings at three Moxy hotels in Manhattan have come from Europe, mostly the United Kingdom, Spain, France and Germany, said Mitchell Hochberg, president of the hotels’ operator, Lightstone.

Still, Hochberg thinks it will take until at least spring for international bookings to be back to their pre-pandemic levels.

“Travel can be cumbersome,” he said. “The flights are somewhat limited right now.”

Worry about getting COVID-19 also continues to put a damper on travel plans for many, even if they’re now allowed in.

Mehek Khera doesn’t want her parents in India to visit her in Santa Clara, California, even though they could now — they’re vaccinated and have visas. But the risk of getting sick is too high. Her father has a heart condition, and they don’t have health insurance in the U.S.

“We don’t feel comfortable adding on another risk on top of that,” Khera said. “They don’t feel very excited to travel.”

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When COVID put an abrupt halt to social gatherings, many homes were reconfigured to encompass school study areas and home offices. Now that pandemic restrictions are easing, there is a gentle art to opening your home again to guests who (like hosts) are out of practice and grappling with a somewhat changed social terrain.

Hugs and handshakes? Dining tables or backyards?

Because the pandemic isn’t over and comfort levels vary, etiquette and homes experts agree that communication, flexibility and compassion are key to making sure things go smoothly.

Their tips:

COMMUNICATION IS KEY

“While some people have jumped right back to hugs and handshakes, others aren’t quite there yet so it’s very important to ask people about things first, and respect differing comfort levels,” says Lizzie Post, co-president of The Emily Post Institute and great great granddaughter of etiquette maven Emily Post.

“Ask ‘Is a hug OK?’ If it’s not, express that friendliness and enthusiasm with words,” she says.

“It’s important to be understanding and keep in mind that people are coming together to connect and to celebrate,” adds Krissy Tiglias, executive editor of Southern Living.

Touch base with guests before the gathering. “Let them know how many people there will be and where you’ll be gathering. People are returning to social gatherings at different paces, and that allows guests to prepare accordingly,” she says.

Amy Panos, home editor for Better Homes and Gardens, adds: “Don’t hesitate to get specific, like ‘everyone who’s invited is vaccinated so no need for masks,’ or, ‘we have unvaccinated kids, so let’s mask up when possible.’”

LESS IS MORE

Where guest lists are concerned, the pros agree it’s a good idea to start small as you figure things out.

“Consider a smaller guest list to begin with, in the first few forays to test the waters, then tweak your approach as you go along,” Panos suggests.

Says Lizzie Post: “A lot of people are experiencing fatigue a little faster than before. A couple hours out is often as much as people are ready for at the start. People should be able to let a host know ahead of time if they think they may want to make it an early evening. And hosts should try to be flexible and understanding.

“It’s a time to be compassionate and understanding, and not to take things too personally.”

ALLOW FOR SPACE, OUTDOOR ACCESS

“For overnight guests, think of making space for a comfortable chair or a little desk in the guest room. Make it into a kind of mini hotel room so they have a place to rest and recharge. Many of us are taking longer trips, and will be needing to get some work done while we’re there,” says Panos.

And instead of piling onto the couch or squeezing around a dining table, as people did before the pandemic, these days people tend to be more comfortable if they’re able to spread out.

“This may be the time to invest in stackable stools or chairs to keep handy so people can spread out comfortably, and keep the windows open if you can,” Panos says.

As Martha Stewart Living style director Tanya Graff says, “We have become pros at doing everything outside. If you can entertain as much as possible outside, I would continue to do that.”

TIDY UP — EVEN WITH RECONFIGURED HOMES

While it’s not necessary to dismantle pandemic-configured home offices, you’ll want to tidy things up, especially in areas where you’ll be entertaining.

“Any time you’ll be inviting people over, make sure you have a nice, clean, available space. If your living room is also an office, office things should be cleared away. Get the space ready for guests,” says Post.

Says Tiglias: “I think we’ve all been cleaning more, but a deep clean of highly trafficked areas is a good idea. Walk through where guests will be, and make sure everything is clean and organized.”

REMEMBER THE KIDS

“Remember that those under 12 still haven’t been able to get vaccinated,” Graff says.

She suggests setting up a separate kids’ table, and being outdoors as much as possible.

EMBRACE INDIVIDUAL PORTIONS, SKIP THE DIP

“Make sure everything has serving utensils and no one has to use their hands with things,” Graff says. “Individual desserts like ice cream sandwiches or individual fruit cobblers are great.”

Tiglias, of Southern Living, says setups that allow guests to serve themselves, like a “make your own strawberry shortcake” station or a “Bloody Mary bar,” are also popular now.

“When it comes to hosting, especially for the first one or two gatherings, take a step back and go with what you know will be a hit,” she says.

Margaret Mayfield, of Los Osos, California, recently gathered with extended family around the table, outdoors, for the first time in a long time.

“My husband has a large family that thrives on family get-togethers with great food and even better wine, but once the pandemic hit we agreed it was best to hold off until we were all fully vaccinated,” she says. “As soon as we were, it was time to celebrate!”

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District Magistrate Prabhu Narain Singh said 650 tourists with online bookings will be allowed a day to visit the white marble Taj Mahal from Wednesday. Temperatures will be checked at the gates, face masks must be worn and social distancing norms must be observed.

The monument was closed in April amid a surge of new infections in India.

The Health Ministry on Wednesday reported 62,224 new infections in the past 24 hours, which is down from a peak of more than 400,000 new infections a day in April.

It also reported 2,542 deaths in the past 24 hours, raising total fatalities to 379,573. Both figures are believed to be vast undercounts.

The city of Agra, where the Taj Mahal is located, reported 10 new infections on Tuesday, down from a peak of 500 a day in April.

In New Delhi, authorities are reopening shops, malls and restaurants this week. Restrictions also have been eased in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai and other cities with a drop in new infections.

Authorities are still warning people to wear face masks and maintain a safe distance.

AP NEWS | Contributed

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From the wine country to Disneyland, restaurants and other businesses threw open their doors wide on Tuesday and many allowed fully vaccinated customers to throw away their masks as the state ended its color-coded COVID-19 restriction tiers amid a plunge in infections and rising vaccination rates.

“California has turned the page. Let us all celebrate this remarkable milestone,” an exuberant and mask-less Gov. Gavin Newsom declared from an outdoor stage at Universal Studios Hollywood, where he hosted a game show-style selection of 10 residents to receive $1.5 million apiece, just for getting vaccinated. “Today is a day to reconnect with strangers, loved ones, family members. Give people hugs.”

Life-sized Minions, Avengers and other movie mascots danced and cheered during festivities.

California was the first state in the country to order a coronavirus lockdown in March 2020 and is among the last to fully reopen after battling a fall and winter COVID-19 surge that saw hundreds dying every day.

Newsom pointed to the more than 40 million doses of vaccine administered — to more than 70% of the state’s adults — and the resulting plunge in cases as the reason for the reopening. California currently has one of the nation’s lowest infection rates, below 1%.

The state ended rules on physical distancing or capacity limits at restaurants, bars, supermarkets, gyms, museums, amusement parks, stadiums or anywhere else.

Masks are no longer mandated for vaccinated people in most settings, though businesses and counties can still require them and other restrictions. Many businesses said they would rely on the honor system when it comes to determining whether patrons are vaccinated.

The reopening was met with exuberance — especially on a day when many areas of the state saw sweltering outdoor temperatures and indoor air conditioning beckoned. But it also prompted caution from people well aware that millions still haven’t had their shots and the coronavirus is anything but eradicated.

More people tested positive for the virus in California (3.8 million and counting) and more people died (63,000 plus) than anywhere else in the country during the pandemic, although the nation’s most populous state had a lower per capita death rate than most others.

In Los Angeles, a moment of silence was observed to honor those who died during the pandemic and county health director Barbara Ferrer said the unvaccinated “need to stay very careful” and wear masks in public areas.

Many museums still required masks, especially since there is, as yet, no federally approved vaccine for young children.

Poonam Rai kept a yellow surgical mask on after leaving a downtown Sacramento coffee shop on Tuesday and said she’ll keep wearing it for now. She works in health care and wants to protect people who are unvaccinated.

“As of today I’m still doing the same things as I was yesterday,” she said.

In Sacramento, Midtown Fitness & Boxing dropped its mask mandate Tuesday, but the few patrons inside still held their masks or wore them around their chins.

“I’m just taking tippy toes,” said Judy Bratman, 65, who was visiting from Los Angeles, as she watched her adult daughter train in a boxing ring.

Still, it was a day of hope for businesses that were hard-hit by restrictions.

Dodger Stadium, where the Dodgers had a night game against the Phillies, dropped its capacity limits and looked forward to replacing cardboard cutouts of fans in the seats with the flesh-and-blood variety. The Dodgers got their wish, reporting a sell-out crowd of more than 52,000 for the game and boasting that it was the largest turnout for a professional sports league game in the U.S. since the start of the pandemic.

“I think we’re all excited to fill up the stadium and get that energy going back in this place,” LA third baseman Justin Turner said before the game. “It’s something we feed off of.”

Disneyland welcomed back out-of-state visitors for the first time since it closed in March 2020. It was shut down for months until opening this spring to California residents only. The famed park is also dropping many of its other restrictions, such as temperature checks and face coverings for vaccinated guests.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed announced that the city’s landmark cable cars, which were halted at the start of the pandemic, will start running again in August and rides will be free all month.

The city’s COVID-19 case rate is 17% lower than the state’s and the rate of infections has plummeted.

“We are in this place because the people of this city came together like never before to make this a reality,” Breed said. “We got through this. We helped to save lives, and we should be so proud of the work we did.”

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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — California, the first state in America to put in place a coronavirus lockdown, has turned a page on the pandemic.

The nation’s most populated state lifted most of its restrictions Tuesday, meaning no more state rules on social distancing or capacity limits at restaurants, bars, supermarkets, gyms, stadiums or anywhere else.

And masks — one of the most fraught symbols of the pandemic — are no longer mandated for vaccinated people in most settings, though businesses and counties can still require them.

Gov. Gavin Newsom celebrated the milestone by hosting a lottery-style selection of 10 winners who will get $1.5 million each simply for being vaccinated. It was the grand finale to the nation’s largest vaccine incentive — $116 million in COVID-19 lottery jackpots and cash card giveaways.

“Finally we are here, June 15th, to turn the page,” Newsom declared from a stage at Universal Studios Hollywood during festivities to mark what he called the “full reopening” of the state’s economy.

The Democratic governor pointed to the more than 40 million doses of vaccine administered and the resulting plunge in cases as the reason for the reopening.

“Foundationally, that’s why we’re here today,” Newsom said.

Just in time for summer, California wants to send the message that life is getting much closer to normal. The economy is fully reopen for the first time in 15 months and people can largely return to pre-pandemic lifestyles.

Fans can cheer maskless at Dodgers and Giants baseball games. Disneyland is opening to all tourists after allowing just California residents since April. People can pack indoor bars and nightclubs from the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles to the Castro in San Francisco.

Tourism was among the hardest hit industries during the pandemic and now wants to make up for lost time.

“In terms of our incredible cities, our iconic attractions, the industry is ready to roll out the red carpet to visitors in California, around the nation and even the world,” said Caroline Beteta, president and CEO of Visit California.

Pandemic highs and lows saw California go from being a success story to the U.S. epicenter of the virus. As the first in the country to impose a statewide lockdown in March 2020, California’s businesses were just starting to reopen last June when cases started rising and restrictions were imposed again.

By summer’s end, a darker reality set in as California hurtled toward a deadly winter surge. Shutdowns, curfews and harrowing images from overwhelmed hospitals became the norm as the state set records almost daily for infections and deaths.

More people tested positive for the virus in California (3.8 million and counting) and more people died (63,000 plus) than anywhere else in the country, although the nation’s most populous state had a lower per capita death rate than most others.

California now has one of the lowest rates of infection in the country, below 1%. That dramatic drop in infections combined with an increasing number of vaccinated residents — over 70% of adults have had at least one dose — led Newsom to announce in April that most COVID-19 restrictions would be lifted June 15.

The reopening doesn’t necessarily mean people will immediately flock to places and events they once packed or that businesses will opt to return to full capacity immediately. But a palpable feeling of anticipation has replaced the anxiety, frustration and sadness that ushered in summer 2020.

For Angie Barragan, who was born in Los Angeles and visited last week from Las Vegas, so many things that were once normal feel new, awkward and amazing: strolling in public without a mask, socializing for the first time in ages.

“It’s kind of learning how to be a human again,” she said as she shopped and strolled on LA’s historic Olvera Street, a restored Mexican marketplace once clogged with tourists. “But it’s great to be among people.”

The reopening doesn’t mean the pandemic is over, Newsom has repeatedly stressed as an explanation for retaining his statewide emergency declaration.

Some public health measures will stay for “megaevents.” People attending indoor concerts, sporting events or other large gatherings of more than 5,000 people will have to show proof that they are vaccinated or have a recent negative COVID-19 test. Those going to outdoor events with more than 10,000 people are “strongly encouraged” to do the same.

While fully vaccinated people will no longer be required to wear masks in most places, those who are unvaccinated are expected to, but it won’t be enforced. Businesses have three choices: operate on an honor system, require customers to show proof of vaccination or require everyone to cover their face.

Many question if the honor system will work, including the California Nurses Association, which said the new rules essentially call on businesses and essential workers to be the vaccination police.

“This is not a sound public health strategy,” said Sandy Rending, a president of the association, which is calling on people to keep masks on indoors and in crowds.

For now, masks are still required in places like public transit, airports, health care settings and indoor school classes.

While applauding the reopening, some business owners said ever-shifting mask rules are confounding.

“We’re excited — and a little confused,” said Tom La Torre, owner of Sabella & La Torre Restaurant at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco, a tourist haven that transformed into a ghost town during the pandemic.

Until now, his restaurant was limited to 50% capacity.

“That will be nice to fill the place up. However, we are still confused about the mask mandate,” La Torre said.

It’s also unclear if people will come.

For Rita Torres, a retired university administrator in Oakland, the last 15 months were “mindboggling.” She has missed dancing at live concerts and hugging her girlfriends at weekly happy hours. But for her, the reopening is just another day.

“Deep down, I want to rejoice,” Torres said, but she’s going to take it slow. “Because it’s kind of like, is it too soon? Will we be sorry?”

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State officials directed counties and other providers on Tuesday to halt use of the vaccine per federal recommendation. But Gov. Gavin Newsom said he does not expect the halt to “materially impact our ability to fulfill our expectations.” Vaccinations are expected to be available for people 16 and older Thursday and California plans to lift most pandemic restrictions in mid-June.

Newsom said the Johnson & Johnson vaccine accounts for only 4% of the state’s current supply and that inoculations of more than 3 million people a week will keep the state on track to reopen broadly June 15. He said officials are working to switch about 8,800 people who had made Johnson & Johnson reservations via a state online platform to Pfizer and Moderna shots.

“The J&J vaccine has been extraordinarily safe,” he said at an event in Butte County.

More than 15 million Californians are fully or partially vaccinated. Of those, nearly 900,000 have received J&J shots, according to the state’s public health agency, including Newsom and other top health officials who publicly received the shots to demonstrate the vaccine’s safety.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Food and Drug Administration officials said Tuesday that they were investigating blood clots in six women that emerged in the days after they were vaccinated, in combination with reduced platelet counts. The federal officials recommended pausing use of the vaccine until they know more.

More than 6.8 million doses of the J&J vaccine have been given in the U.S., the vast majority with no or mild side effects.

Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, chair of the department of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of California-San Francisco, said there is great enthusiasm for the J&J vaccine in vulnerable communities because it requires only one shot and has high brand name recognition.

It has also made it easier to vaccinate mobile communities, such as homeless people who may be harder to locate for a second shot, people who have to drive long distances to get the shot or other hard-to-reach populations, she said.

“We worry that it puts a big damper on efforts that have really been ramping up,” Bibbins-Domingo said of the pause.

The decision to pause J&J inoculations show the agencies are working hard to reassure the public, but anything that raises concerns about vaccine safety could increase vaccine skepticism, said Dr. Timothy Brewer, a professor of epidemiology at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and Medicine.

“Our case rates are still pretty low, our hospitalization rates and mortality rates are very low relative to what they were in January,” Brewer said. “So I think we’re still moving forward.”

Counties and health care providers reported little disruption to vaccination appointments, in part because of vastly reduced J&J shipments this week due to production problems. California received 67,000 doses of J&J this week compared with 575,000 last week.

Several counties are already vaccinating people 16 and older in advance of the state expanding eligibility on Thursday.

Isis Gardner, an 18-year-old senior at San Pedro High School in Los Angeles, received her first shot of the Pfizer vaccine Tuesday rather than the Johnson & Johnson vaccination she was scheduled to get.

“My mom, she’d been telling me the Pfizer is better than the J&J” because of possible blood clots, said Gardner, adding that she’s “definitely happy” about the substitution.

Riverside County canceled mobile clinic appointments Tuesday for roughly 400 people. A clinic scheduled for Saturday in the mountain community of Idyllwild will use Pfizer instead of the J&J vaccine and vaccinators will return in May to deliver second shots, said Jose Arballo, a spokesman for Riverside County’s health agency.

In Los Angeles, city officials said they would use other vaccine in place of 3,000 scheduled J&J vaccinations.

Los Angeles County public health officials said people who received the vaccine in the last three weeks should contact their doctor if they experience symptoms of “these unusual clots,” including severe headaches, abdominal or leg pain, and shortness of breath.

State epidemiologist Dr. Erica Pan said California will convene a regional scientific safety workgroup to review information provided by the federal government. The review group created by California and joined by Nevada, Washington and Oregon approved Johnson & Johnson for use on March 3. California got its first shipment of the shots that week.

Newsom, a Democrat, created the group amid fears that former President Donald Trump’s administration would politicize the approval process. The group reviewed the FDA’s approval of the shot and deemed it safe and effective.

___

Taxin reported from Orange County. AP journalists Janie Har in San Francisco and Marcio J. Sanchez in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

KATHLEEN RONAYNE and AMY TAXIN Associated Press

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A statewide mask mandate will stay in effect, Newsom said, and he cautioned that California will reopen more widely in mid-June only if vaccine supply is sufficient and hospitalization rates stay stable and low.

Still, the Democratic governor, who has overseen some of the most restrictive pandemic rules in the country, said it was time to forge ahead because the state’s infection rate is among the lowest in the U.S. and 20 million vaccines have been administered so far.

“We can confidently say by June 15 that we can start to open up as business as usual, subject to ongoing mask-wearing and ongoing vigilance,” Newsom said. “So this is a big day.”

The announcement comes as states nationwide have lifted health restrictions and mask mandates as more people get vaccinated, despite rising infection rates in some places and concerns of another surge.

California has had some of the nation’s strictest pandemic rules, becoming the first to institute a statewide stay-at-home order last spring and adopting a complex color-coded tier system in August that dictated which businesses could open and at what capacity depending on how widespread the virus was in a county.

The pandemic has taken its toll on California, with more than 58,000 people dead, businesses closed and students who have been out of classrooms for much of the year.

Now, the new plan says businesses can open with “common-sense risk reduction measures” such as wearing masks and encouraging vaccinations. Most capacity limits for businesses and recreational activities will be lifted, although larger indoor events, such as conventions, will be allowed only with testing or vaccination verification requirements, Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said. Other modifications may be needed.

The move toward a June 15 reopening comes with far fewer and must-hit metrics than Newsom’s prior announcements about reopening. While the color-coded system is based on detailed metrics for assessing risk, daily monitoring of infection rates and detailed calculations for capacity, the new plan has none of that.

Despite the caveat that California would only lift the restrictions based on hospitalization and vaccination rates, officials could not say how they would assess that or what would constitute a good trajectory. Both Newsom and Ghaly struggled at times Tuesday to explain the changes without adding caveats.

Vaccine supply must be “sufficient for Californians 16 years and older who wish to be inoculated” though state officials declined to give a must-hit number of shots. Hospitalization rates must be “stable and low,” but officials didn’t say what exactly that means.

Dr. Monica Gandhi, infectious disease expert and professor of medicine at University of California, San Francisco, believes California can begin reopening because many residents were exposed to the virus during the winter surge and many others are getting vaccinated.

“He wouldn’t have been able to keep it closed past June 15 anyway, because the cases would have been so low,” she said.

The announcement comes as the first-term Democrat faces a likely recall election pushed by critics of his handling of the pandemic.

Kevin Faulconer, a former San Diego mayor and Republican who is hoping to replace Newsom, said in a statement that “it took millions of Californians signing a recall petition for him to finally begin reopening our state.”

Newsom said he expects 30 million doses of vaccine to be administered by the end of April, putting the state on track to at least partially inoculate most of the estimated 32 million people 16 and up who will be eligible for the vaccine starting next week. Roughly 7.5 million residents are fully vaccinated, and 6 million are partially inoculated.

Bernadette Boden-Albala, dean of the public health program at the University of California, Irvine, said the governor sent a hopeful message but she worries that younger people won’t get vaccinated in the numbers needed to fully reopen and protect children from the virus.

“The population of 16-plus, among that population are those that defied all guidance and went to places like South Beach in Miami in crowds,” she said. “We needed a good message, but the message may be too soon.”

Michael Rodriguez, owner and general manager of the Cadillac Bar & Grill in San Francisco’s empty downtown, can’t wait for the tech employees at Twitter and Square to return for happy hour cocktails and for theaters to reopen to live audiences.

“Everybody has something to look forward to now,” he said.

As of Tuesday, only Inyo and Merced counties remain in California’s most restrictive purple tier, while 16 other counties moved into less-restrictive tiers, including San Diego. The state also hit its goal of administering 4 million doses to people in the ZIP codes hardest hit by the pandemic, further loosening metrics for moving between tiers.

State officials said the two-month notice should give people enough time to schedule their first dose, wait the recommended three to four weeks for a second shot and get through the two-week period for the vaccines to fully kick in.

JANIE HAR and AMY TAXIN Associated Press

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Massive Los Angeles County can reopen even more businesses — including outdoor bars that don’t serve food — while expanding how many people are allowed to dine indoors and catch a movie, California public health officials announced Tuesday.

The county of 10 million people was one of several counties, including neighboring Orange County, that moved into the state’s second-least restrictive orange tier amid low coronavirus case rates and increased vaccinations. Half of the state’s nearly 40 million people are now in that tier, which means virus rates are “moderate.”

The new rules allow for expanded activities the following day, but counties can opt to maintain more restrictions. It’s still unclear how quickly LA and other reassigned counties will move to increase capacity and reopen businesses.

Officials in Orange County said restaurants, theaters, museums and churches can allow people indoors at 50% capacity starting Wednesday. Bars that don’t serve food can operate outdoors and bowling alleys and card rooms can operate indoors at 25% capacity.

Health officials in California and across the country are urging caution because of a troubling rise in new cases of COVID-19, but aquariums and amusement parks are on track to reopen in California anyway. The state’s mask mandate remains in effect.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Tuesday that the next few weeks will be critical, given the potential surge.

“At the same time, we are vaccinating more and more people,” he said during a virtual event hosted by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. “It’s going to be almost a race between getting people vaccinated, versus avoiding a surge of new cases.”

The typically crowded Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk reopens Thursday, while Universal Studios Hollywood plans to reopen April 16, followed by Disneyland at the end of April and the Monterey Bay Aquarium in May.

Only three counties totaling more than 1 million people — San Joaquin, Merced and Inyo — remain in the state’s most restricted purple tier, where the virus remains widespread. Thirty-six counties are in the state’s red tier, including hard-hit Fresno County, where officials said Tuesday people could dine indoors and visit the movies and museums at 25% capacity starting Wednesday.

Santa Cruz and Alameda also moved to the orange tier Tuesday. Two counties are in the least-restricted yellow tier.

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 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.”

More than 6 million people in the state are fully inoculated and more than 17 million doses have been administered.

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