Gov. Gavin Newsom ushered in the state’s reopening at Universal Studios Hollywood, where he announced more winners from the Vax for the Win prize drawing. (photo courtesy of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office)

As California state officials fully reopened the economy on June 15, Gov. Gavin Newsom celebrated the milestone at Universal Studios Hollywood, where he highlighted the attractions Californians can look forward to revisiting this summer.

Newsom also announced that 10 Californians have been selected to each receive $1.5 million – for a total of $15 million – as part of the final cash prize drawing in the state’s Vax for the Win program.

State restrictions that have been in place during the past have been eliminated, including physical distancing, capacity limits, county tier systems and masks in nearly all settings for vaccinated Californians.

“We celebrate the incredible strength and resilience of Californians – from our heroic health care workers to essential workers across the board to everyday Californians from all walks of life – who have supported each other through hardship and heartache over the past year, making sacrifices to save countless lives and enable us to turn the page on this pandemic,” Newsom said. “As we look ahead to better days, we will continue to look out for one another, redoubling our support to those hit hardest by the pandemic and making unprecedented investments to address California’s most persistent challenges, so that the entire state comes roaring back together.”

California is forecasted to outpace the country’s economic recovery, Newsom said. California has created more jobs than any other state for the past three months, adding 385,000 jobs, he added. In April, California created 38% of the nation’s jobs.

The state has consistently been among the lowest in the nation for COVID-19 case rates and transmission rates, and hospitalizations decreased to the lowest since March 2020, Newsom added. More than 40 million vaccinations have been administered in California, and over 70% of adults have had at least one shot.

Under Vax for the Win, California was one of the only states in the country to achieve a week-over-week increase in the rate of vaccinations, and most recently the state experienced a 22% increase in vaccinations, including in hard-to-reach communities. Since launching Vax for the Win, more than 3 million vaccine doses have been administered.

Newsom also highlighted the upcoming California Dream Vacations, a new Vax for the Win incentive in which vaccinated Californians have the chance to win one of six in-state vacation packages in a drawing on July 1. The California Department of Public Health will start notifying winners within hours of the drawing and over the following days by telephone, text, email and other contact information from the winner’s record in the state’s vaccine registry. People who have not been vaccinated are encouraged to schedule an appointment by visiting myturn.ca.gov.