Most unvaccinated state employees are no longer required to take weekly COVID-19 tests after Sept. 16, according to the California Department of Human Resources (CalHR).
After the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently removed a recommendation to screen for the coronavirus in general community settings, the California Department of Public Health amended its guidance. Thus, after more than a year of mandatory weekly testing, the state government has dropped the requirement.
However, unvaccinated employees in “high-risk and/or acute health care and long-term care settings” must still be tested weekly, said CalHR Director Eraina Ortega in a memo this week, The Sacramento Bee reported. Any department may still be required to provide free testing during paid work time to employees with workplace exposures, Ortega said.
About 22% of state employees remain unvaccinated, according to Camille Travis, deputy director of communications at CalHR. State departments have reported administering more than 1.8 million tests, with about 30,000 positives, since testing began in July 2021, Travis said.
In February, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that the state was officially transitioning from the pandemic to the “endemic” phase. In order to adjust to the “new normal” of living with the virus, the administration has announced a variety of initiatives fueled by billions in new spending. “While we can’t predict the future, we can better prepare for it,” Newsom said.
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