New Yorkers and Californians celebrated most COVID-19 restrictions lifting on Tuesday, as the two states became the latest to move toward fully reopening their economies.
The big picture: The pandemic has now claimed over 600,000 lives in the U.S., but vaccines have helped drive down the seven-day average to roughly 14,000 new cases and fewer than 400 deaths per day, helping most states to ease measures.
Guests ride a roller coaster inside The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at the Universal Studios Hollywood theme park in Universal City, near Los Angeles, following California's full reopening on June 15. Photo: Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images
A restaurant in the U Street corridor of Washington, D.C., U.S., on June 11, when capacity restrictions enacted during the pandemic on bars and nightclubs were fully lifted. Photo: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images
A restaurant on Michigan Avenue in Chicago, Illinois, on June 11, as the state of Illinois lifted nearly all COVID-19 restrictions. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images
T.J. Osborne performs with the Osborn Bothers during the Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam on June 6 in Panama City Beach, Florida. Photo: Michael Chang/Getty Images