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California Watch

News stories in this section spotlight activities in California, including actions by the state Assembly and state Senate; proposed legislation; regulators like the Department of Managed Health Care and Department of Insurance; and the state ACA exchange, Covered California.

New COVID-19 Workplace Rules Align with CDC, State Health Dept. Guidelines

This week, the Standards Board of the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) adopted revisions to the COVID-19 emergency workplace rules. The changes approved at the Standards Board’s June 17 meeting make Cal/OSHA’s COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) more consistent with face mask guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and California ...

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Don’t Deny Vacation Due to Recent Use of COVID Sick Leave

My employee used most of her COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave over the last couple of weeks. Now she wants to take a week’s vacation. Can I deny the vacation request since several other employees in that department, who have been working lots of extra hours to cover her missed shifts, also want to take ...

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California Fully Reopens After Being 1st To Shut In Pandemic

California, the first state in America to put in place a coronavirus lockdown, has turned a page on the pandemic. The nation’s most populated state lifted most of its restrictions Tuesday, meaning no more state rules on social distancing or capacity limits at restaurants, bars, supermarkets, gyms, stadiums or anywhere else.

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California Could Ease Mask Rules For Fully Vaccinated Workers This Week

Fully vaccinated workers in California may be able to remove masks at work this week if a state safety board approves a proposal by the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, or Cal/OSHA.

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Hybrid Work Culture Best Practices

None of us imagined at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic that we would continue to be working virtually over a year later. Even with the tier restrictions lifting here in Orange County and throughout the state, we have faced a point where decisions are being made to either return our workforce in-person, continue to work from home, or in many cases, implement some sort of hybrid arrangement.

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Can 1.4 Million Californian Lost Jobs Come Back?

The pandemic shackles on California’s economy will have officially lasted 452 days — from a full lockdown starting in March 2020 to an all-but-reopened business world after June 15. The economic toll of strict mandates to slow the spread of COVID-19 was high. For years to come, there will be grand debates over the government’s ...

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California’s Reopening Confusion

The events of the last few days raise the question: In eight days, will Californians mistakenly believe that the COVID-19 pandemic is over? After all, Gov. Gavin Newsom has promised a “full reopening” of the state on that date.

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No More Masks At Work? California’s Rules Are On Track To Change

Mask-optional workplaces are almost here, as long as a proposal from California’s workplace safety agency gets final approval. As the state moves toward lifting many COVID-19 pandemic restrictions June 15

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How Scientists Are Already Hunting For California’s Next COVID Variant

At the start of the year, infectious disease experts across California were, in their own words, stumbling around in a blind frenzy.

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California One Of Just Two States At CDC’s Lowest Level Of COVID Transmission

California continues to help set the pace for U.S. COVID-19 recovery, now ranked by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as one of just two states at the lowest level of coronavirus community transmission. In fact, according to the CDC’s four-level color-coded system, California’s transmission metrics were the lowest out of all 50 states ...

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