San Francisco announced the return of its iconic cable cars. Disneyland threw open its doors to out-of-state tourists. And Governor Gavin Newsom marked the day with Hollywood flair, visiting Universal Studios to celebrate the lifting of most COVID-19 restrictions and what he called the "full reopening” of the Golden State’s economy on June 15. (Image: AP)

Life-sized Minions, Avengers and other movie mascots danced and cheered during festivities to mark what Newsom called a new day for California, which was the first state in the country to order a coronavirus lockdown in March 2020 and is among the last to fully reopen. President Joe Biden on June 15 encouraged nationwide July 4 celebrations to mark the country’s effective return to normalcy. (Image: AP)

At midnight, California lifted most of is pandemic restrictions, meaning no more state rules on physical distancing or capacity limits at restaurants, bars, supermarkets, gyms, museums, amusement parks, stadiums or anywhere else. Masks are no longer mandated for vaccinated people in most settings, though businesses and counties can still require them and other restrictions. The reopening doesn’t necessarily mean people will immediately flock to places and events they once packed or that businesses will opt to return to full capacity. (Image: AP)

The Democratic governor pointed to the more than 40 million doses of vaccine administered — to more than 70 percent of the state’s adults — and the resulting plunge in cases as the reason for the reopening. California currently has one of the nation's lowest infection rates, below 1 percent. (Image: AP)

San Francisco Mayor London Breed announced that the city’s landmark cable cars will start running again in August, after being halted at the start of the pandemic. Across the street from the cable car stop in Fisherman's Wharf at the Buena Vista cafe, manager Larry Silva said he wished they would restart sooner, “but that's what we get." (Image: AP)

Tourism was among the hardest-hit industries during the pandemic, and businesses want to make up for lost time. Disneyland on June 15 welcomed back out-of-state visitors for the first time since it closed in March 2020. It was shut down for months until opening this spring to California residents only. The famed park is also dropping many of its other restrictions, such as temperature checks and face coverings for vaccinated guests. (Image: AP)

Gyms took a variety of approaches. In Sacramento, Midtown Fitness & Boxing dropped its mask mandate on June 15, but the few patrons inside still held their masks or wore them around their chins. At Urban Fitness Oakland, they're checking vaccination cards. (Image: AP)

Newsom has warned that the virus is not gone completely, and enthusiasm for reopening should be tempered with vigilance. More people tested positive for the virus in California (3.8 million and counting) and more people died (63,000 plus) than anywhere else in the country, although the nation’s most populous state had a lower per capita death rate than most others. (Image: AP)

Newsom urged more people to get vaccinated, and honored a few lucky Californians who already have been vaccinated in the grand finale of the nation's largest vaccine incentive program. The 10 winners of a $15 million jackpot on June 15 were the last selected in a $116 million COVID-19 lottery that also handed out $50,000 to 30 winners and many $50 gift cards. (Image: AP)

Before announcing the winners, Newsom called up frontline ICU nurse Helen Cordova, who was the first in California to get the vaccine in mid-December. Pandemic highs and lows saw California go from being a success story to the U.S. epicenter of the virus. California’s businesses were just starting to reopen last June when cases started rising and restrictions were imposed again. By summer’s end, California hurtled toward a deadly winter surge. (Image: AP)

COVID-19 | California marks reopening with jackpots, Hollywood flair

At midnight, California lifted most of is pandemic restrictions, meaning no more state rules on physical distancing or capacity limits at restaurants, bars, supermarkets, gyms, museums, amusement parks, stadiums or anywhere else.