LOS ANGELES, June 16 (Xinhua) -- California, the most populous U.S. state, will offer 50,000 free theme park tickets as a new incentive to stimulate residents to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
At Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, Los Angeles County, California Governor Gavin Newsom said Wednesday that 50,000 newly vaccinated Californians will receive a free ticket for use at any of the four sixflags parks in California at select vaccination sites while supplies last.
"We're fully reopening California's economy, but we're not letting up on our efforts to get more Californians vaccinated, so we can all safely get back to the activities and places we love, including our state's iconic landmarks," said Newsom in a statement.
Six Flags Entertainment Corporation noted that it is proud to donate 50,000 tickets to support California's ongoing efforts to get more people vaccinated.
On Tuesday, Newsom announced 10 top winners, with 1.5 million U.S. dollars each, in the state's COVID-19 vaccine sweepstakes. California fully reopened its economy amid dropping cases and vaccine eligibility expansion on Tuesday after more than a year of COVID-19 restrictions. To stimulate more residents to get vaccinated, the state offered 116.5 million U.S. dollars in prize money.
The state, home to around 40 million residents, has administered over 40 million vaccines, according to the governor. The state now has the lowest COVID-19 positivity rate in the country. Overall, over 46 percent of California's population has been fully vaccinated as of Tuesday, shows the official count.
California was the first state in the United States to issue a statewide stay-at-home order over a rapid spread of COVID-19 in March last year. It was once the epicenter of the disease in the country with the highest number of cases and deaths. Enditem
