California adopts 'endemic' coronavirus policy

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has announced the first shift by a state to an "endemic" approach to the coronavirus pandemic. It comes nearly two years after Newsom imposed the first statewide stay-home order as the coronavirus began its first surge in the U.S.  

His plan is meant to return life to normalcy while putting in place policies, procedures and institutions that can more quickly identify a surge and react to it.  Masks won't be required but will still be encouraged in many settings.  Newsom's administration came up with a shorthand acronym to capsulize key elements of its new approach: SMARTER.

The letters stand for Shots, Masks, Awareness, Readiness, Testing, Education and Rx, a common abbreviation for prescriptions and a reference to improving treatments for COVID-19. Living with COVID-19 under Newsom's plan means boosting surveillance of the state, including increased monitoring of virus remnants in wastewater to watch for the first signs of a surge.