The presence of the omicron coronavirus strain in California won't spark another shutdown ahead of the holidays, Gov. Gavin Newsom said on Wednesday.
The governor made the comments just moments after it was announced the first confirmed U.S. case of the variant was confirmed in San Francisco.
The patient – who is fully vaccinated against COVID-19 – is experiencing mild symptoms and is self-quarantining, public health officials said. They first developed symptoms after returning from South Africa last Thursday.
"We are mindful of the experience we had last winter, mindful of the challenges we confronted," Newsom said. Last winter was the Golden State's second surge of the virus, prompting a second shelter-in-place across California based on a color-coded tier system for counties.
State officials later dropped the color-coded system in June.
Almost 74,000 Californians have died from complications related to COVID-19 with 4.8 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 statewide to date.
"I'm confident (that) we continue to do what we've done, which is continue to be in the top 10 of in terms of the lowest case rates, highest vaccination rates (and) lowest positivity rates, that won't be an issue," the governor boasted, responding to a question about possible return of restrictions on businesses and schools.
While Newsom did admit that "uncertainty" comes with the new omicron variant, he urged Californians to "double down" on vaccination and booster efforts "so we can avoid any shutdowns, we can avoid shutting down any of our schools or businesses." The omicron variant, B.1.1.529, has been designated a "variant of concern" by the World Health Organization.
"I see no indication at this moment that's in our immediate future," he added.
Newsom was speaking at a press conference in the Central Valley promoting COVID-19 vaccines and boosters. The first-term Democrat survived a recall attempt in September, largely led by those angered with his statewide restrictions on businesses and schools in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reviewing possible cases of the omicron variant across several states.
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