‘There’s no date.’ Here’s where California stands on reopening from the coronavirus emergency

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has laid out six criteria for what the state will consider when it comes to reopening from the coronavirus emergency.

On Wednesday, he went into greater detail on one of those: the ability to test, track and trace, isolate and quarantine as necessary during the COVID 19 emergency.

Daily testing

When it comes to reopening California for business, “testing becomes foundational in that effort,” Newsom said.

The state in March was able to conduct 2,000 tests a day, on average. By Wednesday, that number had increased to 16,000 tests a day. Newsom said that the goal is to reach 25,000 tests a day by the end of April, with a “phase one” short-term goal of 60,000 to 80,000 tests a day.

Ultimately, Newsom said, California will need the ability to conduct 95,000 daily tests.

Testing sites

It’s not just getting enough tests, Newsom said, it’s getting tests to all areas of the state.

The governor said there are 251 core testing sites around the state. One of the big struggles, he said, has been reaching both the rural and remote parts of the state, and also in communities of color in more urban parts of the state.

Newsom announced that the state will be adding 86 new testing sites, “that are focused from a socio-economic lens, focusing on black and brown communities and focusing on rural communities.”

Antibody tests

The governor announced a deal with Abbott Laboratories for 1.5 million serological (or antibody) tests, at 130 facilities in California.

Newsom cautioned about the antibody tests are not used to diagnose disease.

“It’s not at this moment a panacea, but it could be profoundly significant,” Newsom said.

Track and trace

Newsom said that the state has been surveying state workers to see if they are willing to undergo retraining to learn to track and trace the coronavirus.

“The good news is that we believe we have the capacity to build an army of tracers, beginning with a goal of 10,000,” Newsom said.

Hospitalizations and deaths

To determine when the state can loosen its stay-at-home order, the governor said the state is also looking for “stability” in the number of people hospitalized or dying from the disease.

He said those numbers, not the calendar, will guide his decisions.

“There is no date,” he said.