Guidance for business operations is changing quickly. Below is information about changes to indoor operations for affected counties as well as new health and safety obligations for Sacramento employers.
Certain Business Indoor Operations Shut Down in Designated Counties.
The Governor issued an order yesterday based on new guidance from the California Department of Public Health.
The order affects counties that are on the State’s “County Monitoring List” for three consecutive days. This is not a static list, meaning the counties affected could grow. As of today, Sacramento, Solano, and San Joaquin are among the nineteen counties affected.
In these counties, all indoor operations must cease in the following types of businesses: dine-in restaurants, wineries and tasting rooms, movie theatres, family entertainment centers, zoos and museums, and cardrooms.
All indoor and outdoor operations must cease in brewpubs, breweries, bars, and pubs as well.
Employers in the City of Sacramento Have New Safety, Communications, and Sick Leave Obligations.
The City of Sacramento enacted an ordinance on June 30, 2020 that imposes COVID-19-related health and safety obligations on employers. While the majority of the obligations were already in place due to other State agencies’ orders or guidance, employers must take special note of obligations to:
- Communicate to all employees, in writing and in any other form customarily used by the employer, all the protocols and practices being implemented in response to the ordinance’s requirements. This communication must be in English and in any other language spoken by at least 10% of the employees at a worksite. The communication must be made within 15 days of the ordinance.
- Establish a protocol for action should the worksite be exposed to a person who has a probable or confirmed case of COVID-19.
In addition, the ordinance requires employers who have 500 or more employees nationally to provide supplemental paid sick leave related to COVID-19. There are exemptions for employers of certain health care workers and first responders. The ordinance provides sick leave for similar reasons to that provided by the federal COVID-19 sick leave, which exempted employers of 500 or more employees. However, the City sick leave is also available to employees who choose not to come to the worksite because they are over 65 or considered vulnerable.
Employers in the City of Sacramento are advised to review the specifics of the ordinance.
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