1.1 Opening Status and Modifications for State

For Alameda County (except for Berkeley), the opening status of the business you selected is:

• Can open indoors with modifications
• Encourage working remotely

For more information Industry Guidance on the Covid10.ca.gov website. Please click on the tab for your industry.

Please note that this is for statewide guidance, and that local guidance may be more restrictive. More information about the local guidance can be found on the Risk Assessment tab under Local Guidance. Employers should follow the more restrictive guidance between the state and local guidance. 

1.2 Risk Assessment

State Guidance

Make sure you have a written and effectively implemented Injury and Illness Prevention Program (IIPP).To help you do this, consult the Guide to Developing Your Workplace Injury & Illness Prevention Program and the Injury & Illness Prevention Model Program for High-Hazard Employers. Having your IIPP in place will aid you in implementing your COVID-19 Prevention Program.

You must allow for your employees and any authorized representatives, such as a union representative to participate in the risk assessment and provide them access to your COVID-19 Prevention Program.

The recently adopted COVID-19 Prevention emergency temporary standard requires that you perform a detailed risk assessment for COVID-10 and establish, implement, and maintain an effective written COVID-19 Prevention Program that is specifically designed for each individual work site. In order to do this, start with reviewing the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standards FAQs, COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standards What Employers Need to Know Fact Sheet, and Model COVID-19 Prevention Program (CPP).

If your business operates an outdoor structure, such as a tent, canopy, or other sun shelters to avoid rain or provide shade, please refer to CDPH guidance.

In addition, consult both the COVID-19 Industry Guidance for Office Workspaces and the COVID-19 General Checklist for Office Workspaces.

Local Guidance

Additionally, the employer must know the local public health department contact information, any local county requirements, and the procedures for reporting COVID-19 cases to the local public health department.

The local public health department require that the Confidential Morbidity Report be received by the Communicable Disease Section within one day of identification.

The contract information for the local county public health department is as follows:

Alameda County Public Health Department

• Phone number: (510) 267-3250 (8:30 AM to 5:00 PM)
• After hours: (925) 422-7595
• Fax number: (510) 273-3744 (8:30 AM to 5:00 PM)
• After hours fax number: (510) 273-3744
• Email: COVIDRecovery@acgov.org 

The local public health department's website with additional resources is located at this website. Please note that there are additional county guidelines that goes beyond the state guidelines that employers should understand and comply with.

You may also subscribe to Alameda County's Emergency Alert & Notification System. 

1.3 Training

State Guidance

Provide effective training and instruction to employees on how COVID-19 is spread, infection prevention techniques, the importance of not coming to work and getting tested if they have COVID-19 symptoms, and information regarding COVID-19 related benefits that affected employees may be entitled to under applicable federal, state or local laws.

Consult both the COVID-19 Industry Guidance for Office Workspaces and the COVID-19 General Checklist for Office Workspaces.

The industry guidance and the checklist provide information on how to meet the training requirements. The checklist lists the topics that the employees should be trained on at minimum and the industry guidance provides more detailed information.

Also, review the Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Prevention Emergency Temporary Standards for details on the topics that training needs must include.

1.4 Individual Control Measures and Screening

State Guidance

Consult both the COVID-19 Industry Guidance for Office Workspaces and the COVID-19 General Checklist for Office Workspaces.

The industry guidance and the checklist provide information on how to meet the individual control measure and screening requirements. The checklist lists the minimum individual control measure and screening policies that should be implemented and the industry guidance provides more detailed information.

Also, review the Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Prevention Emergency Temporary COVID-19 Prevention Standards for details on required control measures.

1.5 Cleaning and Disinfecting Protocols

State Guidance

Please note that all businesses permitted to operate indoors must follow the California Department of Public Health interim guidance for ventilation, filtration, and air quality in indoor environments to reduce the spread of COVID-19

Consult both the COVID-19 Industry Guidance for Office Workspaces and the COVID-19 General Checklist for Office Workspaces. The industry guidance and the checklist provide information on the requirements of the cleaning and disinfecting protocols. The checklist lists the minimum cleaning and disinfecting protocols that should be implemented and the industry guidance provides more detailed information.

Also, review the Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Prevention Emergency Temporary Standards for details on cleaning and disinfection protocols.

1.6 Physical Distancing Guidelines

State Guidance

Consult both the COVID-19 Industry Guidance for Office Workspaces and the COVID-10 General Checklist for Office Workspaces.

The industry guidance and the checklist provide information on the physical distancing guidelines. The checklist lists the minimum physical distancing guidelines that should be implemented and the industry guidance provides more detailed information.

Also, review the Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Prevention Emergency Temporary Standards for details on physical distancing requirements.

1.7 Universal Face Covering Requirements

State Guidance

Consult the California COVID-19 Employer Playbook, which provides information on the universal face covering requirements and also provides guidance for employers and workers in enforcing mask requirements.

Please also consult California Department of Public Health's Guidance for the use of face covering.

Please also see Cal/OSHA's Face Coverings, Marks and Respirators poster that is available here and can be posted at the worksite.

For additional guidance on enforcing mask requirements, please refer to information provided by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH).

Also, review the Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Prevention Emergency Temporary Standards for details on face covering requirements.

1.8 Employee Benefits

State Guidance

Employer needs to provide the following benefits to their workers in order to be in compliance with the California labor laws:

• Paid Sick Leave (includes local paid sick leave)
• Coverage under workers compensation insurance
• Job-protected leave under California Family Rights Act

Employees may also be eligible for benefits under EDD administered programs such as California family leave program and disability insurance program.

Paid Sick Leave

All Employees in California start earning paid sick leave from the first day of employment. Please see Labor Commissioner's Frequently Asked Questions on paid sick leave and FAQ on laws enforced by the Labor Commissioner's Office for additional information.

More information about the California COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave law is available at the Labor Commissioner's website.

Additional information about paid sick leave is available at the Labor Commissioner's Office's website.

In addition to paid sick leave, California employers with more than 25 employees will make available to their employees California's COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave. Please note that California requirement to provide Supplemental Paid Sick Leave (SPSL) for COVID-19 related reasons was recently extended. For more information about COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave, including information on its retroactivity, please consult the Labor Commissioners website. Please also consult the 2021 COVID-19 California Supplemental Paid Sick Leave Eligibility Navigator.

More information about the various forms of paid sick leave is available at California Department of Industrial Relations' website.  

Workers Compensation Insurance

Every employer with employees must have an active workers compensation insurance policy. Employees who contract COVID-19 at work may be eligible for workers compensation benefits, which could provide workers with medical treatment and partially replace wages lost while they are recovering.

More information about workers compensation insurance and COVID-19 presumption for workers compensation can be found at the Division of Workers Compensation website.

California Family Rights Act

Provides eligible employees with up to 12 weeks of job-protected leave for their serious health conditions or to care for spouse, parent, or dependent child with a serious health condition. COVID-19 may qualify as serious health condition under specific circumstances.

More information about the California Family Rights Act and additional guidance and information on COVID-19 from Department Fair Employment and Housing can be found at Department of Fair Employment Housing's website.

Additional Benefits

Please note that your employees may also be eligible for disability insurance or paid family leave, including for potentially COVID-19 related reasons. Disability insurance program and California paid family leave program are administered by EDD State Disability Insurance Program. EDD's website has additional information about the disability insurance program and California paid family leave program.

Please consult the COVID-19 Testing and Vaccines FAQ from the Labor Commissioner’s Office for information on topics such as whether an employer is required to compensate a worker for time spent obtaining a COVID-19 test or vaccination.

Also, review the Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Prevention Emergency Temporary Standards for details on requirements for employee benefits including but not limited to exclusion pay and benefits.

1.9 Immediate Steps to Take Following a COVID-19 Case

State Guidance

Once you are aware of a COVID-19 illness in the workplace, you should immediately take the following steps to limit the spread of COVID-19:

Consult Responding to COVID-19 in the Workplace for Employers checklist. Also, review the Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Prevention Emergency Temporary Standards, including the FAQs, for details on the requirements to investigate and follow-up after a COVID-19 case.;

As part of the written plan, the employer should take the steps outlined in the checklist and Employer Playbook for preparing for identification of COVID-19 illnesses in their workplace.

After confirming a COVID-19 case, consult the checklist and Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Prevention Emergency Temporary Standards, which also outline the procedures to follow in communicating identified cases of COVID-19 to

1. Local Health Department,

2. Cal/OSHA, and

3. workers, their authorized representatives, and any contractors who were present, including providing written notice and instructions to workers.

Once there is a confirmed COVID-19 case, employers should follow all the steps outlined in the employer playbook for preventing further spread in the workplace.

Also, review the Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Prevention Emergency Temporary Standards for details on the requirements to follow-up after a COVID-19 case. The checklist also outlines additional guidelines for identifying additional worker cases and close contacts of cases to control further spread in the workplace.

The employer should also follow the guidelines for cleaning and disinfection, as well as deep/enhanced cleaning and disinfection after workers with COVID-19 have been at work.

The employer should also consider the guidance provided by the employer playbook to decide whether to temporarily suspend operations due to the COVID-19 infection in the workplace. The employer playbook outlines steps to consider.

Cal/OSHA has created a tool to help you identify your local regional office to report COVID-19 cases that resulted in death or meet the definition of a serious illness.

Local Guidance

The local public health department requires that the Confidential Morbidity Report be received by the Communicable Disease Section within one day of identification.

The contact information for the local county public health department is as follows:

• Alameda County Public Health Department
• Phone number: (510) 267-3250 (8:30 AM to 5:00 PM)
• After hours: (925) 422-7595
• Fax number: (510) 273-3744 (8:30 AM to 5:00 PM)
• After hours fax number: (510) 273-3744
• E-mail: COVIDWorkplace@acgov.org 
• Website: California State's Shared Portal for Outbreak Tracking (SPOT)
  
  

The local public health department's website with additional resources can be located at this website.

Also, AB 685 requires that non-healthcare employers report to their local health department within 48 hours when the non-health care employer identifies 3 or more COVID-19 cases at a worksite within a 14-day period. More information on the requirements of AB 685 is outlined by CDPH.

Please note that there are additional county guidelines that goes beyond the state guidelines that employers should understand and comply with.

1.10 Re-Opening Safely Following a COVID-19 Case

State Guidance

In order to re-open the business safely following a workplace COVID-19 illness, the employer should first consult the Responding to COVID-19 in the Workplace for Employers checklist; which lists

1. cleaning guide that an employer needs to complete after a confirmed COVID-19 illness, and

2. when a worker who has been exposed to COVID-19 case can return to work; The checklist includes a cleaning and disinfection guide for the workplace that you should follow after workers with COVID-19 have been at work. The checklist includes a table that outlines the criteria for workers to return to work based on guidance from CDC. The employer should also consult with their local health department for further guidance.

Also, review the Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Prevention Emergency Temporary Standards for details on what must take place before an individual with a confirmed COVID case is allowed to return to work.