California Plans Full Reopen as Vaccination Efforts Intensify
California Governor Gavin Newsom announced an ambitious plan to fully reopen the state economy on June 15, only months after a winter surge of COVID-19 cases deluged the Golden State. Newsom also continued his campaign to open most public schools across the state for in-person instruction.
California has seen a dramatic decrease in positivity rates, and more than half of adults are at least partially vaccinated. The pause of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine (ordered by state health services) was not expected to significantly alter progress.
Instructors, click the link below to download this week’s lecture for use in your classroom. The deck contains a writing prompt and a debate question as well as other assessment questions.
Download the PowerPoint Lecture Spark for “California Plans Full Reopen as Vaccination Efforts Intensify"
Links
“California aims to ‘fully reopen’ economy by June 15”
https://www.politico.com/states/california/story/2021/04/06/california-aims-to-fully-reopen-economy-by-june-15-1371794
“Half of eligible Californians at least partially vaccinated, state says”
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-04-16/52-of-california-adults-at-least-partially-vaccinated
“California hits huge vaccine milestone”
https://calmatters.org/newsletters/whatmatters/2021/04/california-hits-vaccine-milestone/
“What to Know About Johnson & Johnson Vaccines in California”
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/14/us/johnson-johnson-vaccine-california.html
“California orders pause of Johnson & Johnson vaccine on US recommendation”
https://abc30.com/health/ca-orders-pause-of-j-j-vaccine-on-us-recommendation/10512377/
“‘Reimagine the school year’: Newsom pushes reopening as many California districts resist”
https://www.kcra.com/article/newsom-pushes-school-reopening-as-many-california-districts-resist/36123046#
“Newsom’s vow to reopen California is a high-stakes political gamble”
https://calmatters.org/politics/2021/04/newsom-reopen-recall/
“Newsom pushes school reopening as many districts resist”
https://fox40.com/news/california-connection/newsom-pushes-school-reopening-as-many-districts-resist/
““How is this OK?” California schools lag behind nation in reopening push”
https://ktla.com/news/california/how-is-this-ok-california-schools-lags-behind-nation-in-reopening-push/
Assessment
- Writing: Describe some of the political risks Newsom is taking by fully reopening the state. Why will every action taken by Newsom be seen cynically by many of his critics?
- Debate: Should other mitigation recommendations like mask wearing also be relaxed?
- Poll: Should California be reopening fully on June 15th as is planned?
- Short Answer: How can government reduce vaccine hesitancy in light of the Johnson and Johnson pause?
Current events quiz:
1) Where does California rank nationally in the total number of vaccines given?
a. first
b. fifth
c. twentieth
d. thirty-fifth
2) Who is eligible for a vaccine in California?
a. those 65 and older
b. frontline workers only
c. every Californian over 16
d. U.S. citizens over 55
3) Why was the Johnson and Johnson vaccine paused in California?
a. because of a chemical mix-up at the Maryland plant
b. because of spoiled second doses of the vaccine
c. because of a danger of heart failure
d. because of a danger of blood clots
4) Governor Newsom was the first California politician to be vaccinated. (T/F)
5) Governor Newsom has received criticism for the state’s decision to order almost exclusively the J&J vaccine. (T/F)
6) Fifty-six percent of California oppose Governor Newson’s recall. (T/F)
Answers:
1) A
2) C
3) D
4) False
5) False
6) True
Enjoy using Lecture Spark? Answer this 5-question survey to help us innovate!
Featured Image Credit: – https://twitter.com/CAgovernor/status/1303752170081116161/photo/1
