Santa Clara County has led the way (I think) when it comes to trying to minimize the effects of COVID-19 on its residents’ health. Earlier this week, the County’s Public Health Officer issued a new order and a ton of explanatory documents to guide employers (and residents) as the State and County and Country begin to “open up.”
There is a ton of information at the County Public Health site – https://covid19.sccgov.org/public-health-order-faq – with lots of links. Pretend you are linking through theories about Mare of Easttown . . . since it will take about that long to go through it all.
Here are some highlights:
- At the County level there are not longer requirements for capacity restrictions and to maximize telework.
- Employers (you!) must get the vaccination status of all employees who work in the County (and are encouraged to collect it for workers in other counties). Employers must have this information by June 1, 2021. Employers can ask fro proof of vaccination (the card) or ask employees to complete the Self-Certification form.
- All unvaccinated employees (or those that “decline to state” and are presumed to be unvaccinated) must update their status every two weeks.
- Indoor mask requirements remain in effect.
- It is likely best to keep the break rooms closed (or at least keep the tables and chairs out) – employees are still discouraged from eating indoors together.
It is not clear if other local or state governments will follow Santa Clara’s lead.
Keep in mind -all the Cal-OSHA requirements for a safe work environment and the California Paid Sick Leave for COVID and the voluntary FFCRA provisions, etc. that I have either written about or linked to other lawyers’ writings are still in effect.
Good luck! Stay safe!
California Employment Law Blog 