On June 15, Governor Newson has terminated the March, 2020 “stay at home” and May, 2020 “blueprint for safer economy” executive orders that had imposed an all-county tier severity system for physical distancing, business capacity, and other limitations.

However, by Department of Public Health (DPH) order effective June 15, a lowered level COVID-related restrictions remain in place including:

• Guidance for the Use of Face Coverings, among other things requiring masks for unvaccinated persons in indoor public settings and businesses and masks for all persons on public transit, schools and other youth settings, healthcare settings, correctional facilities and homeless shelters
• Requirements for Mega Events in the DPH “Beyond the Blueprint for Industries and Business Sectors” issue, i.e., large crowds greater than 5,000 (indoors) and 10,000 (outdoors) attendees, including proof of vaccination or pre-entry negative test; and
• Various COVID-related guidance memos for the opening and administration of schools and youth centers.

This latest DPH order also directs employers to comply with Cal/OSHA’s Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS), updates effective June 17 and, for certain healthcare providers, Cal/OSHA’s Aerosol Transmissible Diseases standard. For more on the ETS, see COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standards FAQs.  For example, employers must continue to provide face coverings to all employees and “for now, must continue to ensure that all employees comply with workplace COVID prevention standards regardless of vaccination status.”

The governor’s June 15 order re-affirms that local health officers remain free to establish and implement more restrictive or intensive measures than the statewide standards.

A number of counties have announced they are following the state’s guidelines:

• Amador,
  
• Butten,
  
• Calaveras,
  
• Colusa,
  
• Fresno,
  
• El Dorado,
  
• Kern,
  
• Kings,
  
• Lake,
  
• Madera,
  
• Marin,
  
• Mono,
  
• Napa,
  
• Nevada,
  
• Placer,
  
• Plumas,
  
• Riverside,
  
• San Joaquin,
  
• San Luis Obispo,
  
• Sacramento,
  
• San Mateo,
  
• Sierra,
  
• Siskiyou,
  
• Solano,
  
• Sonoma,
  
• Trinity, and
  
• Tulare

Many of the localities with particular standards have been quick to issue updates.  A few are electing to remain under the earlier “blueprint” tier system:
:

• Alpine,
  
• Del Norte,
  
• Glenn,
  
• Modoc,
  
• San Benito,
  
• Santa Cruz,
  
• Shasta,
  
• Stanislaus,
  
• Tehama,
  
• Ventura, and
  
• Yolo

For specifics – and to our knowledge as of June 18:

Thanks once again to our legal assistant Daniska Coronado for the compilation. One certainty: pandemic prevention requirements of varying strictness will continue to change, perhaps not always in the direction of reduced restrictions.   Employers should confirm any particular limitations for their particular city or county locations.
For more information, please contact Tim Bowles, Cindy Bamforth or Helena Kobrin.

See also:

• Good Workplace Policy is Boss – Our Template Handbook & Forms for 2021 (May 28, 2021)
• What’s Even Newer in 2021 California Expands COVID-19 Paid – Detailed, Retroactive Requirements for Employers with 26 or More on Payroll (April 9, 2021)
• Pandemic Leave 2.0 – Feds Promote Expanded Paid Leave with Tax Credits, Through September 30, 2021 (March 25, 2021)

Tim Bowles
Daniska Coronado
June 18, 2021