California’s COVID Restriction Cut-Backs from June 15, 2021

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:

City or County	Effective Date	Expiration Date	Resources
Alameda County	June 15, 2021	Until further notice	Alameda County’s website
Alpine County	June 14, 2021	Until further notice	Alpine County’s website
Berkeley	June 15, 2021	October 1, 2021	City of Berkeley’s website
Contra Costa County	June 15, 2021	Until further notice	Contra Costa County’s website
Del Norte County	June 14, 2021	Until further notice	Del Norte County’s website
Glenn County	April 27, 2021	Until further notice	Glenn County’s website
Humboldt County	June 15, 2021	Until further notice	Humboldt County’s FAQs
Imperial County	June 15, 2021	Until further notice	Imperial County’s website
Inyo County	June 15, 2021	Until further notice	Inyo County’s website
Long Beach	June 15, 2021	Until further notice	Long Beach’s website
Los Angeles City	June 17, 2021	Until further notice	Los Angeles City’s FAQs
Los Angeles County(All unincorporated areas and cities in LA County except for Long Beach and Pasadena)	June 15, 2021	Until further notice	Los Angeles County’s website
Mariposa County	June 15, 2021	Until further notice	Mariposa County’s website
Mendocino County	June 15, 2021	Until further notice	Mendocino County’s website
Merced County	June 16, 221	Until further notice	Merced County’s website
Modoc County	March 31, 2021	Until further notice	Modoc County ‘s website
Mono County	June 15, 2021	October 1, 2021	Mono County’s website
Orange County	June 17, 2021	Until further notice	Orange County’s website
Palm Springs	June 15, 2021	Until further notice	Palm Springs’ website
Pasadena	June 15, 2021	Until further notice	Pasadena’s website
San Benito County	April 6, 2021	Until Further notice	San Benito County ‘s website
San Bernardino County	June 15, 2021	Until further notice	San Bernardino County’s FAQs
San Diego County	June 15, 2021	Until further notice	San Diego County’s website
San Francisco City and   County	June 15, 2021	Until further notice	San Francisco’s website
Santa Barbara County	June 15, 2021	Until further notice	Santa Barbara County ‘s website
Santa Clara County	May 18, 2021	Until further notice	Santa Clara County ’s website
Santa Cruz County	May 18, 2021	Until further notice	Santa Cruz County’s website
Shasta County	June 15, 2021	Until further notice	Shasta County’s website
Stanislaus County	June 8, 2021	Until further notice	Stanislaus County’s website
Tehama County	May 19, 2021	Until further notice	Tehama County’s website
Ventura County	June 1, 2021	Until further notice	Ventura County’s website
Yolo County	March 23, 2021	Until further notice	Yolo County’s website

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