California reached a new stage in its pandemic response Tuesday, lifting nearly all of the state's coronavirus-related restrictions.
The road to reopening was not without mistakes, according to one expert.
Dr. Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease expert at UCSF and a frequent guest on KCBS Radio over the last 15 months, identified California's three biggest in a co-bylined op-ed for SFGate.
She said California's biggest mistake was keeping schools closed as long as they did.
"We are (the) 50th state out of 50 in terms of our school reopenings," Dr. Gandhi told KCBS Radio. "We have the lowest number of children who went back to in-person learning, out of all 50 states."
That abundance of caution came at a price. Kids' mental health has suffered, with an increase in suicidal thoughts – especially among teenage girls.
Dr. Gandhi also said the state was too cautious restricting outdoor gatherings to within households during the December surge. Since the risk of transmission is much lower outside, Gandhi said such a move was unnecessary.
The state's messaging around masking also could've been clearer, Dr. Gandhi said, particularly in guidance for vaccinated Californians. The vaccines really are that good – even against the Delta variant – and it's time to tear off the masks.
"I'm so compassionate for people who want to take of that mask, because the vaccines are that effective and they also prevent you from spreading it to others," Dr. Gandhi said.
