Gov. Newsom announces 'California Dream Vacations,' new vaccine incentive
Ahead of California's Tuesday reopening, Gov. Gavin Newsom stopped in San Francisco on Monday to promote a new COVID-19 vaccine incentive called "California Dream Vacations."
The governor's office said it's part of the "Vax for the Win" program that involves cash prizes for Californians who get inoculated with one of the coronavirus vaccines.
The new vacation-related incentive program that was unveiled includes six vacation packages. A drawing will be held July 1.
Newsom said that various "hospitality partners" are helping offset the cost of the packages, which include destinations in Southern California as well as the San Francisco area. Hear more about the vacation packages in the video above.
"One of the key issues for us to get California back on track and shorten this recovery curve is to encourage Californians to travel in California," Caroline Beteta, president and CEO of Visit California, said at the news conference. "It's like a modern-day act of patriotism."
On Tuesday, California will no longer require social distancing and will allow full capacity for businesses. The state's long-standing county tier system that determines restrictions is also going away, as is the indoor mask mandate. However, there are some caveats.
| MORE | What you need to know about California's June 15 reopening: Masks, travel and more
At Monday's news conference, Newsom was asked about methods to verify Californians' vaccination status. He said that the state will this week announce a way for residents to have an electronic version of their vaccination card.
"It's not a passport. It's not a requirement. It's just the ability now to have an electronic version of that paper version," he said.