City of Long Beach Press Release
The City of Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services (Health Department) will align with Los Angeles County’s new isolation and quarantine requirements, which is based on the CDC and CDPH updated guidance regarding isolation and quarantine. The City’s Health Order will be updated Monday, Jan. 3. The new requirements will be as follows:
Isolation
Those who test positive for COVID-19, regardless of vaccination status, previous infection or lack of symptoms, will be required to self-isolate for at least five days. People may only end their self-isolation after day five if they are asymptomatic or fever-free and their symptoms are improving and they test negative on or after day five. People are required to wear a mask around others, both indoors – such as at home if living with other people – and outdoors. This applies both during isolation and for an additional five days afterward (10 days total). Adults should wear a well-fitting medical grade mask (surgical or respirator). Children should wear a well-fitting, non-cloth, surgical style mask of multiple layers of non-woven material with a nose wire. Anyone unable or unwilling to test may end isolation on day 10 if symptoms are not present or are resolving.
Quarantine
Individuals who are fully vaccinated and have received their COVID-19 vaccine booster, if eligible, do not need to quarantine following a COVID-19 exposure. They should test immediately, and if negative, should test again on day five after the last contact with the person who has COVID-19. Further, they must wear a well-fitting medical grade mask (surgical or respirator) while around others, indoors and outdoors, for 10 days after the exposure. If symptoms occur, individuals should immediately isolate and test as soon as possible (do not wait until five days after exposure to retest if symptoms develop earlier) and, if positive, continue to self-isolate as described above.
Those who are unvaccinated, partially vaccinated or fully vaccinated and eligible for a booster but have not yet received their booster dose, who come in close contact with someone who has or is suspected to have COVID-19 must quarantine for at least five days after their last contact with that person/persons. People who are exposed should test immediately after contact and, if negative, again on day five after their last exposure.
People only may end their quarantine period after day five if they are asymptomatic and test negative on or after day five. If unable or unwilling to test, and symptoms are not present, quarantine can end on day 10.
During and after quarantine, people must wear a well-fitting mask around others for a total of 10 days, indoors and outdoors. Adults should wear a well-fitting medical grade mask (surgical or respirator). Children should wear a well-fitting non-cloth surgical style mask of multiple layers of non-woven material with a nose wire. If symptoms develop, people should immediately isolate and test as soon as possible (do not wait until five days after exposure to retest if symptoms develop earlier) and, if positive, self-isolate as described above.
In workplaces, most employers and businesses are subject to the Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS) and some to the Cal/OSHA Aerosol Transmissible Diseases Standards and should consult those regulations for additional requirements. The ETS allow local health jurisdictions to require more protective mandates. This Health Order, which requires masking of all individuals at indoor public settings and businesses, and outdoor mega events, regardless of vaccination status, is a such a mandate, and overrides the more permissive ETS regarding employee masking.
Outbreak Procedures
In establishments and settings with active outbreaks, quarantine and isolation may be extended for additional days by City Public Health outbreak investigators to help lower the risk of ongoing transmission at the site. Healthcare personnel in any setting must comply with the State’s Guidance on Quarantine for Health Care Personnel (HCP) Exposed to SARS-CoV-2 and Return to Work for HCP with COVID-19, as described in AFL-21-08.6.
As soon as practicable, all employers and businesses must provide and require on-site employees, assigned or contracted workers or volunteers to wear a surgical mask or higher-level respirator approved by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), such as an N95 filtering facepiece respirator, at all times while indoors at the worksite or facility.
Additional Background Information
The City of Long Beach has seen a steep rise in cases following the introduction of the Omicron variant. The average daily number of cases increased by 1,234%, from 44 cases on Dec. 1 to 587 on Dec. 29. These are some of the highest daily numbers Long Beach has seen since mid-January 2021. While hospitalizations for Long Beach residents remain stable, area hospitalizations are up, from 51 on Dec. 20 to 129 on Dec. 28. Despite the increase in hospitalizations, the number of those hospitalized remains well below the 263 Long Beach residents hospitalized during the winter surge that occurred at the beginning of 2021. Of those who are currently hospitalized, 71% are unvaccinated, demonstrating the effectiveness of the vaccine for reducing severe illness and hospitalizations. People can visit longbeach.gov/vaxlb for information regarding vaccinations.
