Update Applicable to:
All employers in the state of California.
What happened?
On October 17, 2023, Governor Newsom announced that the COVID-19 State of Emergency will end on February 28, 2023, charting the path to phasing out one of the most effective and necessary tools that California has used to combat COVID-19
What are the details?
With hospitalizations and deaths dramatically reduced due to the state’s vaccination and public health efforts, California has the tools needed to continue fighting COVID-19 when the State of Emergency terminates at the end of February, including vaccines and boosters, testing, treatments, and other mitigation measures like masking and indoor ventilation. As the State of Emergency is phased out, the SMARTER Plan continues to guide California’s strategy to protect people from COVID-19 best.
To maintain California’s COVID-19 laboratory testing and therapeutics treatment capacity, the Newsom Administration will be seeking two statutory changes immediately upon the Legislature’s return:
- The continued ability of nurses to dispense COVID-19 therapeutics; and
- The continued ability of laboratory workers to solely process COVID-19 tests.
For more information, please see the links below:
SMARTER Plan
What do employers need to do?
Employers should review the links provided above, continue to do their best to protect their employees from COVID-19, and be on the lookout for any updates from the Office of Governor Newsom incase of any changes to occur before the end of the COVID-19 State of Emergency on February 28, 2023.
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