The Division of Occupational Safety and Health, better known as Cal/OSHA, revised COVID-19 safety regulations for California’s workplaces. Yesterday, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an Executive Order to implement the relaxed rules effective immediately.
Some of the revised regulations include:
- Only unvaccinated workers are required to wear face coverings indoors or in vehicles.
- Fully vaccinated employees are not required to wear face coverings, and no one is required to wear face coverings outdoors.
- In certain high-risk settings such as health care facilities and during workplace outbreaks, all employees must wear face coverings indoors and outdoors when physical distancing cannot be maintained.
- Fully vaccinated workers without symptoms of COVID-19 do not have to be tested or quarantine after an exposure to the virus.
- Physical distancing and physical barriers are no longer required with exceptions only for outbreaks in the workplace.
- Upon request, employers must provide unvaccinated employees with respirators at no cost for voluntary use.
- Employers must offer no-cost testing for COVID-19 during paid time to unvaccinated employees who develop symptoms or are exposed to the virus, vaccinated employees who develop symptoms, unvaccinated employees in an outbreak, and all employees in a major outbreak.
Employers are also required to maintain confidential records of vaccination status for any employee not wearing a face covering. Options include:
- Employees provide proof of vaccination (vaccine card, image of vaccine card or health care document showing vaccination status) and employer maintains a copy.
- Employees provide proof of vaccination. The employer maintains a record of the employees who presented proof, but not the vaccine record itself.
- Employees self-attest to vaccination status and employer maintains a record of who self-attests.
A person is fully vaccinated 14 days after completing a two-dose vaccine series or receiving a single-dose vaccine authorized by the US Food and Drug Administration or the World Health Organization.
Businesses are urged to read Cal/OSHA’s FAQ at dir.ca.gov/dosh/coronavirus/Revisions-FAQ.html#whatischanging.
This decision by Cal/OSHA aligns rules for workplaces with the State Public Health Officer Order issued on June 11, which outlines ongoing COVID-19 safety measures, and the California Department of Public Health’s (CDPH) masking guidance that allows fully vaccinated people to go unmasked in almost all public settings.
Unvaccinated people must continue to wear masks in indoor public settings, and all people must wear masks in the following places, regardless of vaccination status.
- Public transit and transportation hubs
- Indoors in K-12 schools, childcare and other youth settings
- Health care settings
- State and local correctional facilities and detention centers
- Homeless shelters, emergency shelters and cooling centers.
Read the state’s order in full at cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/Order-of-the-State-Public-Health-Officer-Beyond-Blueprint.aspx.
Cal/OSHA establishes masking policies for workers, while customer masking is determined by each individual business. According to CDPH (cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/guidance-for-face-coverings.aspx), businesses have three options to accommodate unvaccinated individuals:
- Provide information to all patrons, guests and attendees regarding vaccination requirements and allow vaccinated individuals to self-attest that they are in compliance prior to entry.
- Implement vaccine verification to determine whether individuals are required to wear a mask.
- Require all patrons to wear masks.
To view COVID-19 vaccination options, go to MyTurn.ca.gov. Check availability at local pharmacies at vaccines.gov, or text a ZIP code to 438829 to find a participating pharmacy nearby.
View the Humboldt County Data Dashboard online at humboldtgov.org/dashboard, or go to humboldtgov.org/DashboardArchives to download today’s data.
For the most recent COVID-19 information, visit cdc.gov or cdph.ca.gov. Local information is available at humboldtgov.org or by contacting covidinfo@co.humboldt.ca.us or calling 707-441-5000.
Sign up for COVID-19 vaccination: MyTurn.ca.gov
Check for vaccine availability at a local pharmacy: Vaccines.gov
Local COVID-19 vaccine information: humboldtgov.org/VaccineInfo
Humboldt County COVID-19 Data Dashboard: humboldtgov.org/Dashboard
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Humboldt Health Alert: humboldtgov.org/HumboldtHealthAlert
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