State Public Health Officer Order of October 14, 2022āā
To protect all Californians, it is important to continue to control the spread of COVID-19 in our homes, workplaces, and communities. In order to detect infections early and limit transmission of the disease, public health officials across the state have undertaken a multi-pronged approach, which includes encouraging vaccination and boosters, offering and promoting testing and treatment, promoting public health practices like mask wearing, and supporting recommended isolation of those infected and appropriate testing and masking of those exposed to COVID-19.
On June 8th, CDPH included its definition of close contact to acknowledge that COVID-19 is an airborne disease, rather than one spread by respiratory droplets. In addition, as the SARS-CoV-2 virus has recently evolved to have a shorter incubation period (e.g., average 2-3 days), CDPH recommendations regarding relevant time periods for restricting movement by quarantine have been updated to acknowledge this shorter period.
With this update, CDPH further clarifies its definition of close contact to provide entities strategies to prioritize response to potential exposures and acknowledge the differences in risk from direct and indirect exposures.
The COVID-19 vaccines and boosters remain the most effective strategy in preventing infection, disease, and serious illness and death from COVID-19. Unvaccinated persons continue to be more likely to get infected and spread the virus which is transmitted through the air and concentrates indoors.
We must remain vigilant against variants of the disease especially given high levels of transmission in other parts of the world and due to the possibility of vaccine escape. For these reasons, COVID-19 remains a concern to public health and, in order to prevent its spread, limited and temporary public health requirements remain necessary at this time.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, as State Public Health Officer of the State of California, order:
1. All individuals must follow the requirements in the Guidance for the Use of Face Coverings issued by the California Department of Public Health. I will continue to monitor the scientific evidence and epidemiological data and will amend this guidance as needed by the evolving public health conditions and recommendations issued by the federal Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and other public health authorities.
2. All individuals must follow the requirements for Mega Events in the Beyond the Blueprint for Industries and Business Sectors issued by the California Department of Public Health. I will continue to monitor the scientific evidence and epidemiological data and will amend this guidance as needed by the evolving public health conditions and recommendations issued by CDC and other public health authorities.
3. All individuals must continue to follow the requirements in the current COVID-19 Public Health Guidance for K-12 Schools in California and the current COVID-19 Public Health Guidance for Child Care Programs and Providers. I will continue to monitor the scientific evidence and epidemiological data and will amend this guidance as needed by the evolving public health conditions and recommendations issued by the CDC and other public health authorities.
4. For the purposes of the California Department of Public Health's recommendations regarding isolation and quarantine periods for persons infected with or exposed to COVID-19, the following definitions apply
- "Close Contact" means the following:
- In indoor spaces 400,000 or fewer cubic feet per floor (such as home, clinic waiting room, airplane etc.), a close contact is defined as sharing the same indoor airspace for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period (for example, three separate 5-minute exposures for a total of 15 minutes) during an infected person's (confirmed by COVID-19 test or clinical diagnosis ) infectious period.
- In large indoor spaces greater than 400,000 cubic feet per floor (such as open-floor-plan offices, warehouses, large retail stores, manufacturing, or food processing facilities), a close contact is defined as being within 6 feet of the infected person for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period during the infected person's infectious period.
Spaces that are separated by floor-to-ceiling walls (e.g., offices, suites, rooms, waiting areas, bathrooms, or break or eating areas that are separated by floor-to-ceiling walls) must be considered distinct indoor airspaces.
- Infectious Period is defined as:
- For symptomatic infected persons, 2 days before the infected person had any symptoms through Day 10 after symptoms first appeared (or through Days 5ā10 if testing negative on Day 5 or later), and 24 hours have passed with no fever, without the use of fever-reducing medications, and symptoms have improved, OR
- For asymptomatic infected persons, 2 days before the positive specimen collection date through Day 10 after positive specimen collection date (or through Days 5ā10 if testing negative on Day 5 or later) after specimen collection date for their first positive COVID-19 test.
For the purposes of identifying close contacts and exposures, infected persons who test negative on or after Day 5 and end isolation are no longer considered to be within their infectious period. Such persons should continue to follow CDPH isolation recommendations, including wearing a well-fitting face mask through Day 10.
5. The California Department of Public Health will continue to offer public health recommendations and guidance related to COVID-19. However, aside from the mandatory guidance referenced in paragraphs 1, 2 and 3, the other public health guidance related to COVID-19, issued by the California Department of Public Health, will not be mandatory. Instead, they will represent the Department's best recommendations for preventing the spread of COVID-19 based on the scientific evidence and epidemiological data. I strongly encourage Californians to follow such guidance to keep themselves, their families, and their communities healthy.
6. This Order supersedes the June 8, 2022, State Public Health Officer Order, the August 28, 2020, State Public Health Officer Order, the July 13, 2020, State Public Health Officer Order, the May 7, 2020, State Public Health Officer Order, and the March 19, 2020, State Public Health Officer Order.
7. This Order goes into effect on October 14, 2022, at 12:01 a.m.
8. This Order is issued pursuant to Health and Safety Code sections 120125, 120140, 120175,120195 and 131080 and other applicable law.
TomĆ”s J. AragĆ³n, M.D., Dr.P.H.
Director & State Public Health Officer
California Department of Public Health