Health rules are still enforced
Despite various COVID-19-related emergency declarations ending and many restrictions being lifted, Los Angeles County health officials reminded employers on Friday, March 24, that state workplace-safety requirements remain in place.
Among the rules still being enforced by the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health are a requirement that employees who test positive remain out of the worksite for at least five days. Those employees can return between days six and 10 after testing positive if they have been fever-free for 24 hours and other symptoms have subsided, health officials said.
Employers are also required to notify other workers who may have been exposed to the virus, to make testing available to employees who may have been exposed and to ensure that all exposed employees take a test within three to five days. Employers are required to report clusters of three or more cases that occur within 14 days to the county Department of Public Health.
“Cal-OSHA is clear that worksites need to be safe by protecting workers from transmission of COVID-19,” county Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said in a statement. “We encourage everyone to be mindful of worksite rules and do their best to not transmit this virus to others by isolating when infected and using masks and tests appropriately when exposed to the virus. Together our efforts provide support to those who are most vulnerable and minimize the disruptions to school, work, and our daily lives.”
