The California Department of Public Health has revised its quarantine and isolation guidelines for health care employees.
All Facilities Letter (AFL) 21-08.9 updates the earlier guidance on isolation and quarantine periods in the following areas:
- It aligns with recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) isolation and quarantine guidelines to permit exposed, asymptomatic health care employees to return to work after a negative COVID-19 test at 24 hours, three days, and five days after exposure.
- It aligns with recent CDC guidelines on testing cadence and exposure timeline.
- It continues the requirement that health care personnel returning to work without a quarantine or isolation period must wear an N95 respirator for source control.
The new AFL supersedes the prior AFL and does not have an end date. If the AFL is further updated due to new CDC guidance or other factors, CHA will release additional details through CHA News.