This week brought some welcomed updates for county employers, as
the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) issued a new
guidance on quarantining. The guidance shortens the time
necessary for asymptomatic close contacts (e.g., potential
workplace exposures) to quarantine, from 14 to 10 days, with or
without testing. All individuals permitted to reduce the
quarantine period to less than 14 days must:
Adhere strictly to all
recommended non-pharmaceutical interventions, including
wearing face coverings at all times, maintaining a distance of
at least 6 feet from others and the interventions required
below, through Day 14.
Use surgical face masks at all times during work for those
returning after Day 7, and continue to use face coverings when
outside the home through Day 14 after last exposure.
Self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms through Day 14 and, if
symptoms occur, immediately self-isolate and contact their local
public health department or healthcare provider and seek testing.
Importantly, the guidance also allows some health care workers to
return to work after 7 days, if they have received a negative
test from a specimen collected after day 5. This applies to:
Exposed asymptomatic health care workers; and
Exposed asymptomatic emergency response and social service
workers who work face to face with clients in the child welfare
system or in assisted living facilities.
In addition, the Governor’s Office released a new
Executive Order which ultimately applies the CDPH guidance
(discussed above) to the
Cal/OSHA COVID-19 emergency regulations that were
approved earlier this month, unless a local public health
order provides for longer exclusion. The regulations increased
the state’s ability to enforce COVID-19 related workplace safety
measures.
CSAC will continue advocating on behalf of counties to ease the
burdens created by complex and conflicting information contained
with the regulations and recently enacted legislation.
For additional information or to share county-specific
impacts of these regulations, please contact Ryan Souza at
rsouza@counties.org.
