It’s Time to Sunset Most COVID-19 Regulations

COVID-19 is not gone, but most of Cal/OSHA’s COVID-19 Non-Emergency Regulations for employers ended on February 3, 2025. Those regulations apply to California employers not subject to the Aerosol Transmissible Disease Standard and include requirements such as maintaining COVID-19 Prevention Plans, excluding COVID-19 cases from the workplace during infectious periods, providing notices and COVID-19 testing to close contacts of COVID-19 cases, masking requirements, and, of course, recordkeeping obligations.

Beginning February 3, 2025, only the recordkeeping obligations remain.

Employers must still:

• Record all COVID-19 case information, which includes the employee's name, contact information, occupation, location where the employee worked, the date of the last day at the workplace, and the date of the positive COVID-19 test and/or COVID-19 diagnosis

The COVID-19 Emergency regulation requires employers to record this information until February 3, 2026. Personal identifying information of COVID-19 cases or persons with COVID-19 symptoms, and any employee medical records must be kept confidential unless disclosure is required or permitted by law.

Employers continue to have a duty to provide a safe workplace and maintain their Illness and Injury Prevention Plans. They are encouraged to continue to monitor Cal/OSHA’s website for guidance and developments on safety-related requirements. CEA’s safety partners can provide employers with valuable assistance.