Moments after rejecting a proposal that would require workers to continue wearing masks if just one employee in a room isn't fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, a Cal/OSHA panel voted in favor of the same measure late Thursday as a stopgap in place of stricter, existing guidelines.
The seven-member Cal/OSHA Standards Board unanimously adopted the revised regulations but clarified that a three-member subcommittee will consider further changes in the coming weeks or months.
Members initially voted 4-3 against the plan – thought by many to be too strict – but then changed their minds and voted again because the existing guidelines that would continue to be in effect require everyone in a workplace or office to wear masks at all times.
The proposed rule mandates masks be worn if even one employee in a workplace or room is unvaccinated for COVID-19. Employers would be required to provide masks to unvaccinated workers and would be presumed responsible if someone contracted the coronavirus.
Guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that fully vaccinated people do not need to wear face coverings indoors.
Alameda County Health Officer Dr. Nick Moss told KCBS Radio earlier Thursday that a rise in cases is possible as more people return to work.
"We are getting to a place where mask rules are being relaxed because of the vaccine and when we see unvaccinated people not wearing masks indoors, we’ll see transmission," he warned. "It’ll spread in those settings.
The newly-adopted rules also throw out physical distancing requirements after July 31, provided everyone in a workplace is vaccinated. We can expect a lot of changes on June 15 as California fully reopens its economy but dropping the indoor mask mandate won’t necessarily happen right away.
Helen Cleary, director of the Phylmar Regulatory Roundtable, a coalition of large businesses, told The Associated Press it was "astonishing" that staff didn’t align with guidelines from federal and state health officials, describing the Cal/OSHA proposal as a "rogue public policy."
The new proposal takes effect on June 15, if the state gives a green light.
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