COVID outbreaks doubled in California workplaces in July. Why masks rules won’t change, for now
The number of workplace coronavirus outbreaks in California more than doubled between June and July, according to state data released Friday.
The data, which was shared with a panel exploring how to revise the state’s COVID-19 workplace safety standard, showed that the number of worksite outbreaks in July was the highest since April. Outbreaks are defined as three or more cases at a working area testing positive for COVID-19 within a 14-day period.
With the more transmissible delta variant now the dominant strain in California, as well as the state lifting some of its workplace COVID restrictions, the increase in the number of outbreaks was expected.
The magnitude of the increase is leading some worker advocates to call for the state to reassess its workplace rule, which does not have a physical distancing requirement and does not require fully vaccinated workers to wear masks.
“It’s been an unbelievable turn of events compared to where we were a month ago,” said Eddie Sanchez of the Southern California Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health.
Major changes to the state’s COVID workplace rule are unlikely until at least the end of the fall, according to the panel’s discussion with staff from the standards board of the state’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health, commonly called Cal-OSHA.
Workplace outbreaks
California had 459 workplace outbreaks in July, compared to 217 in June, according to the data from the California Department of Public Health.
The July number is far below 2,467 workplace outbreaks reported in California in January. But it’s still the highest since April when 490 outbreaks were reported. The July and June numbers are also likely to increase, as the state gets more data from local agencies, Dr. Amy Heinzerling, medical officer for the California Department of Public Health.
The data mirrors what California has seen as a whole when it comes to case numbers. At the end of June, the state saw about 2,000 cases. That jumped to about 10,000 cases by the end of July, according to the health department.
So far this year, residential care facilities and nursing homes reported the most workplace outbreaks, at 1,077 and 450 outbreaks respectively.
That’s followed by schools at 314, restaurants at 289, child care facilities at 168 outbreaks, followed by construction, public safety and grocery stores, according to the state data.
More “layered prevention strategies,” such as wearing masks, are required to reduce the transmission of COVID-19, Cal-OSHA Deputy Chief Eric Berg told the panel.
Cal-OSHA’s new COVID rule
California’s workplace safety as updated in June doesn’t require fully vaccinated people to wear masks or practice social distancing at workplaces and allows people to self-attest their vaccination status. Many counties have brought back the requirement for people to wear masks indoors, which supersedes Cal-OSHA’s rule, but such mandate is not yet statewide.
“We’re in an extremely different place now than where we were in mid-June,” said Laura Stock, who sits in the panel and represents occupational safety officials at the standards board. She voted against the rule in June because she thought it was too lax.
“This highlights the fact that the current version of the (standard) is falling behind what is needed, falling behind what the (Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s) guidelines are,” she said.
It’s unlikely that the board will update its rule right away. Under the administrative process, the board practically has only one more opportunity to make significant changes to its rule, its staff told the panel.
Given the time it takes to gather input from stakeholders such as workers and businesses, the most reasonable timeline would be to consider making the changes around December, Executive Officer Christina Shupe told the board. Those changes, if approved, would then be considered as part of Cal-OSHA’s permanent COVID workplace safety rule to be adopted by the board early next year.
The panel will further discuss the standard at 10 a.m. on Aug. 27.
