Updated Covid19 Policy January 11, 2024
• On January 9, 2024, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) updated its State Public Health Officer Order for COVID-19 Disease Control and Prevention and related guidance documents, and Cal/OSHA updated its COVID-19 Prevention Non-Emergency Regulations for workplaces. These updates reflect changes to isolation guidance for persons who test positive, recommended testing for close contacts, and the definition of “infectious period” for isolation and exclusion purposes.
• The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LAC DPH) advises all LA County residents to continue taking steps to reduce COVID-19 transmission. To reduce the spread of COVID-19, LAC DPH maintains the following local health protective measures in place:
Masking for persons with COVID: All individuals with COVID-19 need to wear a well-fitting, high-quality mask for a total of 10 days after their symptoms began or, if they do not have symptoms, the date of their initial positive test, whenever they are around others. This includes individuals who test positive and have no symptoms or only mild symptoms.
Testing for close contacts: With easy access to at-home testing for COVID-19, it is important for individuals to assess their status if they have respiratory symptoms or had a known exposure to a person infected with COVID-19. We advise everyone who is a close contact to a confirmed case to test immediately if they have symptoms and within 3- 5 days of their last exposure date if they are not symptomatic.
Infectious period for COVID-19: The infectious period for COVID-19 has not changed. Individuals with COVID-19 are considered infectious starting 2 days before their symptoms began and for 10 days after symptoms began or the first positive test if no symptoms. This is why it is important for anyone who tests positive to wear a well-fitting, high-quality mask whenever around others for 10 days after initial symptoms or first positive test if they do not have symptoms.
In alignment with the updated CDPH and Cal/OSHA guidance, LAC DPH is defining the isolation period as described: Isolation separates people with a contagious disease from people who are not infected; it slows the spread of flu, RSV, COVID-19, and other respiratory illnesses. Individuals with COVID-19 who have symptoms shall stay home away from others until fever free for 24 hours without using fever-reducing medication AND other symptoms are mild and improving. Individuals with COVID-19 who leave isolation before 10 days from symptom onset or the date of their first positive test if no symptoms need to wear a mask when around others. Individuals who tested positive for COVID-19 and have no symptoms are not required to isolate provided they wear a well-fitting, high-quality respiratory mask whenever around other people for 10 days following their positive test result.
Revised 1/12/2024
Introduction Respiratory viruses including influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and COVID-19 are widely circulating and reasonable precautions must continue to prevent community spread. Additionally, COVID-19 continues posing more risk of serious health consequences, including severe illness, hospitalization, and death, particularly for older adults and persons with weakened immune systems. This document outlines the precautions persons with COVID-19 and persons who are a close contact of a person infected with COVID-19 must take to prevent the unintentional spread of COVID-19 to others.
These guidelines apply to both the general public and non-healthcare workplace settings. Businesses, organizations, and schools can continue to have more protective policies to protect their employees, students, and customers, including adhering to the prior guidance on isolation for individuals with COVID-19 and instructions for persons who are close contacts.
Workplaces Workplace settings are subject to the Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Non-Emergency Regulations. In workplaces where there is occupational exposure to aerosol transmissible disease, employers are required to follow the Cal/OSHA Aerosol Transmissible Diseases (ATD) Standard for employees who are identified in the employer’s ATD Exposure Control Plan. Employers must adhere to the COVID-19 Non-Emergency Regulations for employees not covered in the employer’s ATD Exposure Control Plan. Employers must adhere to the State Public Health Officer Order and Isolation Guidance for employees with COVID-19.
This includes the requirement to exclude symptomatic employees based on a symptom-based exclusion approach and the requirement for all COVID-19 positive employees to wear respiratory masks until 10 days have passed since their COVID-19 symptoms began or, for those who remain asymptomatic, until 10 days have passed from the date of their first positive COVID-19 test.
Additional information about requirements for covered workplaces may be found in COVID-19 Prevention Non-Emergency Regulations