On January 9, 2024, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) updated its COVID-19 Isolation Guidance. The guidance applies to the general public, including most workplace settings. Employees working in certain health care settings, such as general acute care hospitals, acute psychiatric hospitals, and skilled nursing facilities, must continue to follow isolation and return-to-work guidance set forth in AFL 21-08.9.
The updated guidance focuses on clinical symptoms to determine when to end isolation and moves away from the five-day isolation period. Individuals who have symptoms should stay home and isolate until they have not had a fever for 24 hours without using fever-reducing medication and other COVID-19 symptoms are mild and improving. Individuals who test positive without symptoms do not need to isolate at home. However, they must wear a mask when they are around other people indoors for 10 days after testing positive. The guidance further states that individuals may remove their mask sooner than 10 days if they have two sequential negative tests at least one day apart. If they develop symptoms, they must follow the criteria above.
With respect to the workplace, the Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Non-Emergency Regulations instruct covered employers to follow current CDPH guidance regarding quarantine and other measures to reduce transmission. Accordingly, employers should refer to this updated CDPH isolation guidance when handling COVID-19 cases in the workplace. If you have questions about COVID-19 prevention in the workplace, please contact Employers Council’s California Legal Services team at CAinfo@employerscouncil.org.
#Covid#California