'By the Numbers': California Shows How to Reopen Safely Unlike other states that lifted restrictions statewide after coronavirus cases plummeted, California replaced its regional stay-home order with a county-based blueprint, permitting counties to advance based on performance in three health metrics. March 4, 2021, 11am PST | Irvin Dawid Share President Joe Biden and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are warning Americans about the strong possibility of a fourth surge based on rapidly spreading coronavirus variants that are more transmissible than what was experienced in the spring, summer, and fall/winter surges, but some states have dismissed the warning in light of falling infections and hospitalizations.