CALIFORNIA — Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order Wednesday, October 29, granting senior residents aged 70 and older the option of renewing their non-commercial drivers licenses by mail until California’s state of emergency ends.
Under Governor Newsom’s executive order, seniors 70 and older have this option due to the coronavirus pandemic. According to the governor’s website, it will further limit “in-person transactions at the Department of Motor Vehicles” and will help the “COVID-19 vulnerable population isolate at home.”
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that the risk for contracting a severe sickness from COVID-19 increases the older people are, especially for those who have more than 85 years.
The state of emergency in California due to the threat of COVID-19 was declared Wednesday, March 4, by Governor Newsom.
The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) stated on Thursday, October 15, that seniors aged 70 and older would be granted a one-year extension if their driver’s license has an expiration date from March 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020. The previous extension was of 120 days if a license expired from March through July of this year. But the new executive order ensures that this option will be available to seniors older than 70 until California’s state of emergency ends.
