Resources for Business Re-Opening

October 7, 2021: Bay Area Health Officers Issue Criteria for Lifting Indoor Masking Requirements. Alameda County continues to require Indoor Masking. Release in other Languages

September 28, 2021: CDPH issued a public health order requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for workers in adult and senior care facilities and those employed in in-home direct care settings by November 30. Release in other Languages

September 10, 2021: The Alameda County Public Health Officer updated the Alameda County Quarantine Order. Quarantine keeps a person who was in close contact with someone who has COVID-19 away from others. As part of this update, individuals who are in quarantine can possibly end their quarantine on day 7 if they receive a negative COVID-19 test on or after their 5th day of quarantine. For additional details and information see the Quarantine Order and the County's Quarantine page.

August 18, 2021: California Department of Public Health lowered the verification threshold for indoor Mega Events to 1,000 participants. The new guidance takes effect September 20 and will remain in effect until November 1, 2021, and requires vaccine verification or proof of negative test result within 72 hours for indoor Mega Events. See current Options for Providing Proof of Vaccination in the CDPH Vaccine Records Guidelines & Standards for acceptable methods of vaccine verification.

August 2, 2021: Alameda County health order requires all individuals, regardless of vaccination status, to wear face coverings when indoors in public settings, with limited exceptions, starting at 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday, August 3. Face Covering Order FAQ. Businesses, venue operators, individuals, hosts, and others responsible for operation of indoor public settings must:

1. Require all patrons to wear face coverings for all indoor settings, regardless of their vaccination status; and
2. Post clearly visible and easy-to-read signage at all entry points for indoor settings to communicate the masking requirements to all patrons.

July 26, 2021: California puts vaccine verification in effect for healthcare workers and state employees

July 16, 2021: Bay Area Counties Recommend Masking Indoors for Everyone as a Precaution Against Increased Circulation of COVID-19

Effective June 15: State Guidance - Beyond the Blueprint for Industry and Business Sectors

Community Updates for Employers - recorded on Monday, June 21, 6 - 7:30 p.m. by Alameda County Health Care Services Agency

All workplaces governed by Cal/OSHA must follow their current standards and the updated standards starting June 17, including masking requirements for employees.

Alameda County Workplace Guidance

All businesses permitted to operate indoors must follow the CDPH interim guidance for ventilation, filtration, and air quality. This guidance includes practical steps your business can take to promote better ventilation, filtration, and air quality indoors to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

December 10: ABC provides industry guidance on cocktails to-go and sale of sealed containers; Alameda County will align and follow this guidance.

Mask Required For Entry Poster: Arabic | Amharic | Burmese | Chinese (Simplified) | Chinese (Traditional) | English | Khmer | Korean | Spanish | Swahili | Tagalog | Tigrinya | Vietnamese

Face Covering Sign for Businesses by Alameda County (PDF): ENGLISH | SPANISH | CHINESE (Simplified) | CHINESE (Traditional) | KOREAN | ARABIC | TAGALOG | VIETNAMESE | CAMBODIAN

Mask On Sign for Businesses by Alameda County (PDF) in English, Chinese and Spanish

ReOpening Guide signs by the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce (PDF), in partnership with Oaklandish and the Economic Recovery Advisory Council, 11" x 17" signs for download. Pick up hard copies from any Oakland Chamber, Business Improvement District or CIty Council office. ENGLISH | CHINESE | SPANISH | VIETNAMESE

For current eligibility for vaccination, please visit Alameda County Public Health's website.

In the meantime, please protect yourself from COVID-19 by wearing a mask, keeping your distance from others, avoiding crowds, and washing your hands frequently.

To learn more about vaccine planning in Alameda County, please visit their website.

Employer Vaccination Toolkit
If you’re an employer who is interested in supporting your employees in getting vaccinated, please review the information in the toolkit.

Employers must report workplace-related outbreaks to the local health department. An outbreak is defined as 3 or more positive employee cases within an exposed group.

Track and keep a record of all COVID-19 cases with employee's name, contact information, occupation, location worked, date of last day at workplace and date of positive COVID-19 test.

Report positive cases using the online portal.

Review Alameda County Public Health Department's step-by-step instructions.

Have a question? Email COVIDWorkplace@acgov.org.

On January 1, 2021, AB 685 went into effect. The law requires businesses to notify employees of potential COVID-19 exposure at the workplace within one business day of exposure. The law remains in effect until January 1, 2023.

California COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave
Employers with more than 25 employees must provide 80 hours of COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave for eligible employees who are:

• Isolating/quarantining related to COVID-19
• Attending appointments to receive a COVID-19 vaccine
• Experiencing symptoms related to COVID-19 vaccine
• Experiencing COVID-19 symptoms
• Caring for a family member who is subject to quarantine or isolation
• Caring for a child whose school or place of care is closed due to COVID-19

The Supplemental Paid Sick Leave extends through September 30, 2021. 2021 COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave FAQs

California Paid Sick Leave: Frequently Asked Questions

October 5: CDPH updated the Interim Guidance for Ventilation, Filtration, and Air Quality in Indoor Environments to incorporate Cal/OSHA revisions, clarify legal requirements, and add additional resources.

As of August 5, Yelp has added new features to help businesses communicate their vaccination protocols with the public. Users will be able to filter businesses by two new attributes - "proof of vaccination required" and "all staff fully vaccinated" - when searching for local businesses and restaurants.

HIPAA, COVID-19 Vaccination, and the Workplace

Alameda County Workplace Guidance

Employers are subject to the Cal.OSHA COVID-19 Prevention Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS), if applicable to them.

General Business Ventilation Guidance During the COVID-19 Pandemic - Source: Alameda County Public Health

COVID-19 Employer Playbook for a Safe Reopening - Source: California Department of Public Health

COVID-19 Guidance Documents - Source: California Department of Public Health

Planning Considerations for Organizations in Reconstituting Operations During the COVID-19 Pandemic – Source: FEMA

How-To guide for re-opening your workplace – Source: Cushman & Wakefield

Cushman & Wakefield Webinar

SAFE Retail - Considerations for Retail Operations Post COVID-19 - Source: Target

Reopening Resources by Industry - Source: International Economic Development Council

Guidance for Reopening Buildings After Prolonged Shutdown or Reduced Operation - Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention industry decision trees:

• Restaurants & Bars
• Child Care
• Youth Programs & Camps
• Workplaces and Businesses
• Schools and Child Care Programs
  
• Manufacturing Workers and Employers
• Office Buildings

Reopening Guidance for Cleaning and Disinfecting Public Spaces, Workplaces, Businesses, Schools, and Homes – Source: CDC

Guidance for Cleaning and Disinfecting – Source: CDC handout, April 28, 2020

Cleaning and Disinfection for Community Facilities – Source: CDC

California COVID-19 Employer Playbook: when and how an employer must report a COVID-19 positive employee; what is defined as an outbreak; and guidance for employers who may be considering whether to suspend operations due to COVID-19 spread in the workplace.

Criteria for Release from Home Isolation and/or Quarantine and Return to Work

When do I Self-Release from Isolation for COVID-19?

California-made Personal Protective Equipment Marketplace Source: California Manufacturers & Technology Association

Screening Guidance for Employers, Businesses, and Organizations - Source: Alameda County Public Health:
English | Arabic | Farsi | Khmer | Korean | Spanish | Tagalog | Vietnamese | Chinese (Simplified) | Chinese (Traditional)

Alameda County Worker Resources - Source: Alameda County Public Health:
English | Spanish | Chinese (simplified) | Chinese (traditional) | Tagalog | Vietnamese

OSHA COVID-19 Guidelines – Source: U.S. Department of Labor

OSHA Standards – Source: U.S. Department of Labor

Cal/OSHA Guidance on Requirements to Protect Workers from Coronavirus - Source: California Department of Industrial Relations

Workplace Outbreak Guidance for Employers - Source: California Department of Public Health

Oakland recently updated its Paid Sick Leave law to protect workers from COVID-19. Employers should read the new guidelines and post the regulations in a public place.

The City of Oakland’s Workforce Development Board has launched a free, online skills training platform offered by Metrix Learning.

Taking courses can help Oaklanders improve a wide variety of skills, earn industry certificates, launch into new careers or advance up the career ladder. Metrix Learning offers more than 5,000 courses leading to over 180 industry certificates, with online classes in English, Spanish and Cantonese.

Accessible 24/7, the self-paced courses allow users to take the classes when it is convenient for them. This training resource is available to any Oakland resident or business owner. Register at: https://oakland.metrixlearning.com/

As Oakland restaurants are allowed by County Order to re-open in stages, industry-specific resources are available.

To specifically support businesses with curbside or storefront pickup, and/or delivery, the City is taking the following steps:

1. Streamlining Sidewalk and Roadway Permitting

In anticipation of further updates to Alameda County’s Shelter-in-Place Order, City departments are working to revise the permitting process for sidewalk and roadway encroachments to make it easier for retailers and restaurants to use larger portions of the sidewalk and roadway to support their businesses. The City is working to streamline permits for parklets, café seating and other uses to help businesses better meet physical distancing requirements, and anticipates issuing updated guidelines by the end of May. City departments want to hear from local businesses about how it can streamline permitting for creative ways to use larger portions of the sidewalk, adjacent parking spaces, and the broader street space to support businesses.

Learn about the Flex Streets Initiative.

2. Expediting White Curb Requests
In order to facilitate customer pick-up and delivery from Oakland businesses during the COVID-19 period, business owners can request a temporary white curb in front of their business. To request a temporary white curb, please contact Oak311 by dialing 311 or online at https://www.oaklandca.gov/services/oak311.

Oakland's Open
To include Oakland in the message on June 15 that the California economy is reopening, the Visit Oakland team has created a toolkit with social media assets, as well as update several website pages and resources.

This toolkit is free for Oakland businesses to use. Assets include:

1. Social Media hashtag and graphics
2. Link to "Oakland's Open" video
3. Link to "Oakland's Open" landing page on VisitOakland.com
4. Links to reopening information resources including COVID Safety and Oakland Travel Pledge.

Click here to access the toolkit. For any support please contact the Visit Oakland Marketing team: marketing@visitoakland.com