On April 6, 2022, the California Department of Public Health (“CDPH”) updated its guidance for local health jurisdictions on isolation and quarantine of the general public. The new guidance removes quarantine recommendations for asymptomatic exposed people, regardless of vaccination status. The CDPH now recommends that those who were exposed to COVID-19 and are asymptomatic should test within 3-5 days of last exposure and wear a well-fitting mask around others for a total of 10 days. Additionally, those who were infected with COVID-19 within the prior 90 days do not need to be tested, quarantined, or excluded from work unless symptoms develop.
While the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) has not yet updated the Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Prevention Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS) for workplace settings to reflect the new CDPH isolation and quarantine recommendations, Executive Order N-84-20 is still in effect and states that the recommended isolation and quarantine periods in the Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Prevention ETS will be overridden by any applicable isolation or quarantine recommendations by the CDPH or local health departments with jurisdiction over the workplace. Therefore, employers should follow the updated recommendations by the CDPH regarding isolation and quarantine for asymptomatic exposed people, subject to any local health department guidance that requires a longer exclusion period.
Employees who work in specified high-risk settings that are unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated, and were not infected with COVID-19 within the prior 90 days, are subject to different quarantine and isolation standards as explained in Table 3 of the April 6 CDPH guidance. High-risk settings include settings where transmission risk is high and populations served are at risk of more serious COVID-19 consequences, including hospitalization, severe illness, and death.
LCW attorneys are available to assist with questions about quarantine and isolation recommendations in workplace settings.