Changes Related to the End of Federal, State, and Local Emergencies

Page last updated 5/11/2023.

See below, or click the following links, to learn more about:

• Overview
• State and Local Health Officer Orders
• School Notifications
• Safe Reopening

Overview

• On March 3, 2023, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced updates to several state public health officer orders that have guided Californians on how to best protect themselves and their families throughout the pandemic. 
• CDPH is making the following changes to existing COVID-19 guidance:
  • Effective March 13, 2023, CDPH has:
    • Updated recommendations regarding isolation for persons infected with COVID-19.
    • Updated definition of infectious period in alignment with updated recommendations regarding isolation of persons infected with COVID-19.
    • Included definition of confirmed case.
    • Removed requirements in Mega Events and K-12 Schools and Child Care.
  • Effective April 3, 2023, CDPH:
    • No longer requires vaccination for healthcare workers.
      
      • However, per Federal Guidance for Staff Vaccination Requirements, all Medicare-and Medicaid-certified providers must ensure that all applicable staff are vaccinated with COVID-19 primary series. 
      • Federal regulations 42 CFR 483.80(d)(3) and 42 CFR 483.460(a)(4)(i) also require that Long-Term Care (LTC) facilities and Intermediate Care Facilities for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (ICFs-IID) must offer COVID-19 vaccines to residents, clients, and staff onsite when supplies are available to the facility and in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) COVID-19 vaccine schedule, which includes bivalent booster doses.
    • Removed masking requirements in high-risk settings, though allow healthcare facilities and local health jurisdictions to customize and locals plans and implementation to recommend or require universal masking based on risk of exposure for high-risk individuals and settings.
      • County Public Health Services strongly recommends masking in acute healthcare settings (i.e., hospitals, psychiatric hospitals, and long-term care facilities) when engaged in direct patient care.
      • For information on  masking in the general population, please visit the Face Coverings webpage.
    • Rescinded an order that required hospitals statewide to accept transfer patients from facilities with limited Intensive Care Unit (ICU) capacity as needed.
    • Rescinded an order that required providers to ask patients for their email addresses and/or mobile phone numbers when receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.
    • Rescinded the August 5, 2021 State Public Health Officer Order. 
• On April 19, 2023, following the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulatory action, the CDC's ACIP expressed their support for the following new recommendations:
  • Allow an additional updated (bivalent) vaccine dose for adults ages 65 years and older, and additional doses for people who are immunocompromised.
  • No longer recommend monovalent (original) mRNA COVID-19 vaccines for use in the U.S.
• On May 11, 2023, the federal COVID-19 public health emergency declaration will end. After this date, most tools, like vaccines, treatments, and testing will remain available. But, some tools, like certain data sources and reporting, will change.
  • Vaccines will remain available.
    • Access to COVID-19 vaccines will generally not be affected for now. The U.S. government is currently distributing free COVID-19 vaccines for all adults and children.
  • COVID-19 at-home tests may not be covered by insurance.
    • Insurance providers will no longer be required to waive costs or provide free COVID-19 tests. CDC’s No Cost COVID-19 Testing Locator can help people find current community and pharmacy partners participating in the Increasing Community Access to Testing (ICATT) program.
  • Treatments will remain available.
    • Medication to prevent severe COVID-19, such as Paxlovid, will remain available for free while supplies last. After that, the price will be determined by the medication manufacturer and your health insurance coverage. Check with your healthcare provider if you need early treatment to prevent severe COVID-19.
  • National reporting of COVID-19 may change.
    • We have the right data for this phase of COVID-19 that will allow us to understand what’s happening with the virus in America in real-time. While what we have going forward will be different, it will still allow CDC, local public health officials, and the members of the public to understand COVID-19 dynamics at the community level.      

State and Local Health Officer Orders

• San Diego County and California public health officials have issued orders to prevent the spread of COVID-19. 
  • End of California’s COVID-19 State of Emergency
    The statewide State of Emergency proclaimed on March 4, 2020 is terminated effective February 28, 2023. Any Executive Orders related to the terminated State of Emergency are no longer in effect as of February 28, 2023. 
  • Local Health Officer Orders have been rescinded.
  • Isolation and quarantine actions are in alignment with the CDPH (see above).

School Notifications

School Administrators and Employers: Starting April 15, 2023, based on the workplace setting type, please send an email to the appropriate address listed below. For more information, visit the COVID-19 Outbreak Reporting webpage.

Please include the following information in the email:

• Email Subject Line (select one of the following)
  • Reporting outbreak
  • Requesting consultation on infection control measures
  • COVID-19 Complaint/Enforcement question
• Reportable Disease: COVID-19
• Facility Business Name and Department (if applicable)
• Facility Address
• Point of Contact
• Point of Contact Phone Number
• Point of Contact Email
• Number of Employees/Staff Who Reported Testing Positive
• Number of Residents/Students/Attendees Who Reported Testing Positive
• Brief Explanation of Circumstances or Reason for this Request

Safe Reopening

Most activities have reopened.