On June 18, 2020, California’s Office of the Governor released new guidance for all Californians in response to the rise in cases for COVID-19.
The guidance now mandates face coverings to be worn by Californians in high-risk settings statewide, with some exceptions. Masks are to be worn when engaged in work, whether at the workplace or performing work off-site:
- Interacting in-person with any member of the public;
- Working in any space visited by members of the public, regardless of whether anyone from the public is present at the time;
- Working in any space where food is prepared or packaged for sale or distribution to others;
- Working in or walking through common areas, such as hallways, stairways, elevators, and parking facilities;
- In any room or enclosed area where other people (except for members of the person’s own household or residence) are present when unable to physically distance.
Local orders that are more stringent would take precedence over the state order.
Guidelines have been prepared for many of the different industries in California (Industry-specific guidance). The Construction Industry Guidelines require companies to have (a) a Worksite Specific COVID-19 prevention plan at every facility, (b) provide employee training on specific topics from prevention and social distancing; (c) provide individual control measures and screening at all jobsites and locations; (d) have cleaning and disinfecting protocols established; and (e) provide physical distancing guidelines to employees and onsite personnel. There is currently not an explicit exemption for construction regarding masks and the current guidelines appear to require masks for construction industry jobsites.
We recommend that you carefully review the Guidelines and please reach out to your Gordon & Rees team for any assistance to ensure you are in compliance with the state’s industry-specific guidance.
Visit our COVID-19 hub for additional resources and ongoing updates.