Now, the tiers are gone. So are capacity limits at restaurants, bars, gyms, places of worship, amusement parks and theaters. Indoor and outdoor gatherings of any size are permitted. And vaccinated people no longer need to wear masks in most settings.
Many Californians, of course, have been eating out, exercising, going to movies and gathering with loved ones for months as coronavirus cases have declined, vaccination rates have increased and the state has loosened its rules. Our return to “normal” has been steady but gradual, accompanied along the way by both uncertainty and hope.
In that sense, today’s official reopening is less a dramatic shift in daily life (though life will look different: all those exposed chins and noses!) than a celebration of the progress we’ve made after so much loss and loneliness. That celebration consists of coffee dates and commutes, bowling and swimming and music. It symbolizes the return of our life together — just in time for the long, bright days of summer.
7:00 A.M.
ALAMEDA: Waitress Jessie Hill, center, works in the dining room of Ole’s Waffle Shop. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group) FREMONT: Davinder Kaur attends a morning prayer at the Gurdwara Sahib Sikh Temple. (Anda Chu/Bay Area News Group)
8:00 A.M.
OAKLAND: BART passengers are photographed inside a train at the Fruitvale Station. As Covid -19 restrictions are eliminated across the state, face masks are still required on public transportation. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)
9:00 A.M.
SAN FRANCISCO: Bear Bryan raises his arm in joy as Dan Zelinsky opens the doors to his Musee Mecanique on the grand reopening day at Fisherman’s Wharf. Zelinsky’s beloved arcade closed fifteen months age when the pandemic shutdown began. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) PALO ALTO: West Currier, right, helps up Max Leins, 9, left, onto a popsicle stick bridge during Neuro Camp. (Randy Vazquez/ Bay Area News Group)
10:00 A.M.
PALO ALTO: Dario Cometto, 10, sits near a door while listening to counselors teach a lesson during Neuro Camp. (Randy Vazquez/ Bay Area News Group)
11:00 A.M.
SAN JOSE: Kathleen Cohen, 75, attends a senior fitness class without being required to wear a mask at the Central YMCA. On Tuesday, the State of California began a highly anticipated reopening with modified masking guidelines that allow fully vaccinated Californias to gather indoors without masks. (Anda Chu/Bay Area News Group) SAN FRANCISCO: Angela Del Rio and Laurent Velazquez of Las Vegas, sit inside Caffe Trieste. It is the first time the North Beach institution has opened for indoor service in the fifteen months since the pandemic shutdown. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) SAN JOSE: Richard Veyna, 18, works out without being required to wear mask in a weight room at the Central YMCA. (Anda Chu/Bay Area News Group)
12:00 P.M.
WALNUT CREEK: Emma Rohner, of Walnut Creek, unloads groceries as her 1-year old daughter Remi sits in a shopping cart in the Trader Joe’s parking lot. Rohner, who is vaccinated for COVID-19, was one of the many shoppers at Trader Joe’s, one of the stores that announced they would not require mask-wearing indoors. (Doug Duran/Bay Area News Group) SAN JOSE: Business remains sparse at Jade Cathay in San Jose, with owner Grace Guan’s base of customers still mainly working from home. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group) COLMA: Community members dance in Mike Nevin Plaza during a “Reopening of the State Celebration” event. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)
1:00 P.M.
DALY CITY: Dwayne Cross, left, stretches out before his turn at Classic Bowling Center. (Randy Vazquez/ Bay Area News Group) CASTRO VALLEY: People play mini golf at the Golden Tee Golfland as seen from this drone view. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
2:00 P.M.
DUBLIN: From left, Martyna Kuron, 11, and her siblings, Maja, 14, and Oliver, 9, all of Pleasanton, have fun at The Wave Waterpark’s “Splash Zone.” Dublin’s water park started its phased re-opening on Tuesday after being closed through the Pandemic. (Doug Duran/Bay Area News Group) OAKLAND: A discarded mask hangs from a powerline in East Oakland.(Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) OAKLAND: Dentist Faiz Ansari administers a COVID-19 test to a kid inside a minivan at La Clinica testing and vaccination site on Fruitvale Avenue and East 12th Street parking lot. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
3:00 P.M.
SAN FRANCISCO: The North Beach Brass Band marches down Columbus Avenue in San Francisco, Calif. for a grand reopening pub crawl, Tuesday, June 15, 2021. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
4:00 P.M.
LIVERMORE: Commuter traffic travels on Interstate 580. (Doug Duran/Bay Area News Group)
5:00 P.M.
PALO ALTO: Nancy Lam, left, her sister, Janet Chan, right, both of San Mateo, and their long-time friend, Hollie Wong, who is visiting from Washington D.C., share a laugh on June 15, 2021, at The Wine Room. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group) BERKELEY: Dancers perform in front of a green screen and video camera at the Ciel Creative Space open house. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) BERKELEY: Jon Bowden, of Drool Visuals, hugs Geri Logan, of Marin County, at the Ciel Creative Space open house. The state of California officially opened today and eased rules after over a year of coronavirus pandemic restrictions. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
6:00 P.M.
LIVERMORE: Rosa Fierro, of Danville, the owner of Rosa Fierro Cellars, toasts a glass of wine with people attending a celebration event called the “Great Unmasking!” held by Rosa Fierro Cellars, Favalora Vineyards Winery, Occasio Winery, and Nottingham Cellars. (Doug Duran/Bay Area News Group) FREMONT: Men and women attend an evening prayer at the Gurdwara Sahib Sikh Temple. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
7:00 P.M.
SAN FRANCISCO: Friends and family members of San Francisco Giants pitcher Sammy Long (73) cheer during the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Oracle Park. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
8:00 P.M.
MOUNTAIN VIEW: People are seen in the reflection of mirrors as they practice salsa dancing at Alberto’s. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group) MOUNTAIN VIEW: Sarah Northrop, right, and her boyfriend, Kevin Boyce, take a break during a salsa dance class at Alberto’s. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)
9:00 P.M.
SAN FRANCISCO: Search lights scan the sky above the Pink Triangle on Twin Peaks as part of the day’s celebration for the state’s reopening from the COVID-19 lockdown. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) OAKLAND: Carrie Platt, who was visiting from Washington, D. C., hangs out with her uncle Dan Venzill at George & Walt’s bar on College Avenue.(Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) SAN FRANCISCO: Patrons enjoy drinks as a go-go dancer performs at Beaux lounge in the Castro district. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
10:00 P.M.
SAN FRANCISCO: DJ Gatsbo provides music for a dance party atop Twin Peak, part of the celebration for the state’s reopening from the COVID-19 lockdown. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) SAN FRANCISCO: Patrons enjoy drinks as a go-go dancer performs at Beaux lounge in the Castro district. Today, the state lifted its COVID-19 restrictions with modified masking guidelines that allow fully vaccinated residents to attend indoor venues without masks, capacity limits nor social distancing. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
