California has a blueprint for reducing COVID-19 in the state with revised criteria for loosening and tightening restrictions on activities. Every county in California is assigned to a tier based on its rate of new cases and positivity. Orange County, CA is currently in the Purple Tier (widespread virus transmission). To find guidance for specific industries and activities, please visit https://covid19.ca.gov/industry-guidance/.

Reopen your business or facility safely

Use the Employer Playbook for a Safe Reopening to help plan and prepare for reopening your business. Review how to respond to COVID-19 cases in your workplace and prevent further spread. To protect and support workers, employers need to:

• Instruct workers when they should stay home
• Notify all workers who were potentially exposed
• Maintain confidentiality when communicating with other workers
• Provide healthcare consultations advising workers about their exposure
• Provide information to close contacts about home quarantine, symptom monitoring, and testing options
• Provide information to affected workers about what to expect, including sick leave options and when they can return to work

To manage outbreaks, employers need to:

• Identify and track suspected and confirmed cases among workers
• Report confirmed cases to the local health department where their business is located, and where the infected workers live (if different)
• Develop a testing strategy to identify additional worker cases and close contacts to control further spread
• Work with their local health department to assist in contact tracing and quarantining of close contacts
• Consider whether to temporarily suspend operations

Wearing a mask or face covering is required statewide in public or common spaces. Employers must provide face coverings to workers, or must reimburse workers for the reasonable cost of obtaining them. Find all requirements and exceptions to these rules in the guidance on this page below. All businesses and facilities must follow the items listed here before reopening:

1. Scroll down this page to find the guidance for your industry, business, event, or activity.
2. Review it completely.
3. Perform a detailed risk assessment and create a worksite-specific protection plan.
4. Train employees on how to limit the spread of COVID-19. This includes how to screen themselves for symptoms and when to stay home.
5. Set up individual control measures and screenings.
6. Put disinfection protocols in place.
7. Establish physical distancing guidelines.
8. Establish universal face covering requirements (with allowed exceptions). See CDPH guidelines (PDF).
9. Post your completed checklist so everyone can know the steps you’ve taken. Feel free to add more safety measures to the ones included in your industry’s guidance.

Employer policies and resources

It’s important that employees with COVID-19 know they should stay home. Your sick leave policies need to support that. Workers also need safe and reliable childcare options during the COVID-19 response. See information on:

• Government programs supporting COVID-19 sick leave and workers’ compensation
• Family friendly practices for employers (PDF)
• Support for working families (PDF)
• Find childcare
• CDPH guidance for the use of face coverings (PDF)