With Worksite Outbreaks Rising, Public Health Outlines Best Practices to Limit COVID-19 Transmission, Workplace Disruptions

With worksite outbreaks on the rise, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) reminds employers to review measures aimed at limiting COVID-19 transmission in the workplace and the preventable disruptions that may result from them.

In Los Angeles County, during the 30-day period ending Sept. 1, Public Health opened 73 new COVID-19 outbreak investigations, nearly three times the number of outbreak investigations opened during the prior 30-day period.

During the most recent 30-day period ending Sept. 1, Public Health received 154 cluster reports from worksites. Worksites are required to report clusters of three or more possibly connected COVID-19 cases over a 7-day period to Public Health within 24 hours of becoming aware of the situation. If upon investigation, the cluster meets the criteria for a worksite outbreak, meaning there is confirmed transmission at a site, a Public Health case manager will be assigned to help guide the worksite response.

Businesses can report possible COVID-19 clusters to Public Health online. For answers to questions about what and when to report, email communityoutbreak@ph.lacounty.gov or call 1-888-397-3993.

The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) guidelines note that employers should have procedures in place for seeking information from employees related to COVID-19 cases and close contacts in the workplace, including collecting and keeping confidential records of all COVID-19 cases.

Once a COVID-19 case is identified, the person who tests positive will need to isolate and not return to work for a minimum of five days. Employees may return to the workplace on the sixth day after testing positive if they have been fever-free for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication and their symptoms are mild or improving. For those employees who meet the criteria to end isolation and return to work on day six, Cal/OSHA requires masking through day 10 at workplaces.

Employers should inform all close contacts of their exposure within one business day of the case identification in a manner that does not reveal personal information related to the case.

Exposed workers should wear a high-quality, well-fitted mask around others for 10 days, which the employer is required to supply. Anyone exposed should test 3-5 days after their last close contact with the COVID-positive individual. Per Cal/OSHA, employers must offer testing at no cost to employees who have had a workplace exposure during paid time.

Following a set of best practices can help reduce the chance of transmission and related disruptions in the workplace. This includes encouraging employees to stay up to date on their vaccines. This fall, employers should consider giving time off for workers to get the updated COVID-19 vaccine or they can host a vaccination event at their worksite.

Additionally, employers should actively encourage and provide support for employees to remain home when sick and to follow mask rules outlined by Cal/OSHA and recommended by Public Health. Employers are also responsible for providing adequate resources for handwashing and regular cleaning of surfaces. Increasing ventilation can significantly help to reduce COVID-19 transmission. Detailed information, and resources including workplace signage, can be found at ph.lacounty.gov/COVIDBusiness.

Reported outbreaks in other sectors have also increased this past week including a 43 percent increase at schools with 33 newly opened school outbreaks this week, up from 23 the prior week. This reflects the continued higher rate of spread of COVID-19, and means that sensible protections, such as remaining home when sick, frequent handwashing, testing when exposed or ill, and wearing a well-fitting mask where required or appropriate, are appropriate steps everyone can take.

To access free telehealth services for treatment for those testing positive for COVID, contact the Public Health Call Center, seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., at 1-833-540-0473.

Los Angeles County remains in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Low Hospital Admission Level with 7.4 weekly COVID-19 hospital admissions per 100,000 people, reported on Sept. 5 for the seven-day period ending Aug. 26, an increase from 6.3 hospital admissions last week.

Public Health reports COVID-19 data weekly. The following table shows case, wastewater, emergency department, hospitalization and death data in Los Angeles County over the past four weeks:

Metric	Date of Weekly Report
Metric	9/6/2023	8/30/2023	8/23/2023	8/16/2023
Daily average cases	569	571	512	384
SARS-CoV-2 wastewater concentration as a percentage of the Winter 2022-2023 peak concentration value	29%	26%	28%	22%
Daily average of the percent of Emergency Department (ED) encounters classified as coronavirus-related	5.0%	5.1%	4.4%	3.9%
Daily average number of COVID-positive hospitalizations	559	523	430	330
Daily average deaths	1.3	1.0	1.7	1.0
Percent of all deaths due to COVID-19	2.9%	2.8%	0.9%	0.9%
All daily averages are 7-day averages. Data for past weeks are subject to change in future reports. Time periods covered by each metric: cases = week ending each Saturday; wastewater = week ending each Saturday, with a one-week lag; ED data = week ending each Sunday; hospitalizations = week ending each Saturday; deaths = week ending each Monday, with a three-week lag; death percentage = week ending Monday, with a one-week lag. Hospitalization counts do not include Prospect Hospitals, which on average make up 2% of hospitalizations in LA County. Case data is presented by episode date, an approximation of the date the illness began, and death data is presented by date of death. This is a change from how case and death data were presented prior to July 26, 2023, which was by date of report. Daily average cases do not include Long Beach and Pasadena; daily average deaths include Long Beach and Pasadena.

• A wide range of data and dashboards on COVID-19 from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health are available on the Public Health website at http://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov/COVIDdata including:

• COVID-19 Locations & Demographics (data by demographic characteristics and geography, active outbreaks, and citations)

• COVID -19 Response Plan

• COVID -19 Vaccinations

• Skilled Nursing Facility Metrics

Always check with trusted sources for the latest accurate information about novel coronavirus:

• Los Angeles County Department of Public Health:

http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/

• California Department of Public Health: https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/Immunization/nCOV2019.aspx

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

• CDC Spanish https://espanol.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

• World Health Organization https://www.who.int/health -topics/coronavirus

• LA County residents can also call 2-1-1

Cases through 12:00pm 9/4/2023
	Total Cases
Laboratory Confirmed Cases (includes LB and Pas through 6/27/23; excludes LB and Pas after 6/27/23)	3,789,034
Deaths (includes LB and Pas)	36,651
Cases by Age Group (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- 0 to 4	114,323
- 5 to 11	284,272
- 12 to 17	278,973
- 18 to 29	764,747
- 30 to 49	1,146,579
- 50 to 64	623,736
- 65 to 79	271,890
- over 80	96,940
- Under Investigation	2,581
Cases by Gender (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- Female	1,851,702
- Male	1,641,150
- Other	1,867
- Under Investigation	89,322
Cases by Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- American Indian/Alaska Native	6,805
- Asian	267,804
- Black	189,834
- Hispanic/Latino	1,527,364
- Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	17,916
- White	499,543
- Other	413,200
- Under Investigation	661,575
Hospitalization (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- Hospitalized (Ever)	183,993
Deaths by Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)
- American Indian/Alaska Native	81
- Asian	4,550
- Black	3,265
- Hispanic/Latino	16,945
- Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	114
- White	9,283
- Other	433
- Under Investigation	91
CITY / COMMUNITY**	Cases	Case Rate
City of Agoura Hills	6429	30786
City of Alhambra	25863	29822
City of Arcadia	13936	24130
City of Artesia	6092	36273
City of Avalon	292	7547
City of Azusa	17676	35324
City of Baldwin Park	29983	39056
City of Bell	17136	47165
City of Bell Gardens	17320	40213
City of Bellflower	31168	40095
City of Beverly Hills	11731	33983
City of Bradbury	71	6642
City of Burbank	33288	31058
City of Calabasas	5956	24487
City of Carson	35486	37813
City of Cerritos	13615	27194
City of Claremont	10518	28829
City of Commerce*	5923	45321
City of Compton	40776	40815
City of Covina	20522	41854
City of Cudahy	12301	50524
City of Culver City	12181	30556
City of Diamond Bar	13882	24136
City of Downey	47307	41402
City of Duarte	7590	34475
City of El Monte	43210	36847
City of El Segundo	4156	24759
City of Gardena	22208	36222
City of Glendale	61082	29581
City of Glendora	15292	28982
City of Hawaiian Gardens	5058	34464
City of Hawthorne	30065	33862
City of Hermosa Beach	4812	24464
City of Hidden Hills	390	20635
City of Huntington Park	26548	44630
City of Industry	1022	233867
City of Inglewood	39275	34579
City of Irwindale	897	61480
City of La Canada Flintridge	4639	22418
City of La Habra Heights	215	3941
City of La Mirada	14452	29138
City of La Puente	16127	39627
City of La Verne	9357	28114
City of Lakewood	27486	34203
City of Lancaster*	65013	40238
City of Lawndale	10736	31939
City of Lomita	6200	29910
City of Lynwood*	31651	43931
City of Malibu	2927	22583
City of Manhattan Beach	7571	21031
City of Maywood	12932	46105
City of Monrovia	12010	30954
City of Montebello	25762	40019
City of Monterey Park	17755	28517
City of Norwalk	43532	40449
City of Palmdale	67580	42512
City of Palos Verdes Estates	2320	17157
City of Paramount	22966	40994
City of Pico Rivera	28398	44176
City of Pomona	66315	42528
City of Rancho Palos Verdes	7979	18666
City of Redondo Beach	15893	23135
City of Rolling Hills	303	15619
City of Rolling Hills Estates	1574	19401
City of Rosemead	15434	27884
City of San Dimas*	11233	32544
City of San Fernando	12895	52393
City of San Gabriel	11623	28381
City of San Marino	2465	18566
City of Santa Clarita	74694	33887
City of Santa Fe Springs	7974	43422
City of Santa Monica	27013	29220
City of Sierra Madre	2469	22468
City of Signal Hill	4149	35170
City of South El Monte	8504	40718
City of South Gate	47625	48520
City of South Pasadena	6430	24680
City of Temple City	10887	29864
City of Torrance	35089	23507
City of Vernon	360	172249
City of Walnut	7686	25174
City of West Covina	40048	37001
City of West Hollywood	11437	30952
City of Westlake Village	457	5467
City of Whittier	31664	36216
Los Angeles	1547129	38252
Los Angeles - Adams-Normandie	3237	39466
Los Angeles - Alsace	4593	36906
Los Angeles - Angeles National Forest	0	0
Los Angeles - Angelino Heights	851	34013
Los Angeles - Arleta	17072	49671
Los Angeles - Atwater Village	5155	35149
Los Angeles - Baldwin Hills	10403	33423
Los Angeles - Bel Air	2501	29671
Los Angeles - Beverly Crest	3392	27082
Los Angeles - Beverlywood	4271	32422
Los Angeles - Boyle Heights*	40846	47012
Los Angeles - Brentwood	8573	27695
Los Angeles - Brookside	158	27194
Los Angeles - Cadillac-Corning	2323	32622
Los Angeles - Canoga Park	25673	39322
Los Angeles - Carthay	4472	31136
Los Angeles - Central	17145	43971
Los Angeles - Century City	3827	29917
Los Angeles - Century Palms/Cove	16488	48830
Los Angeles - Chatsworth	13168	35531
Los Angeles - Cheviot Hills	2601	28361
Los Angeles - Chinatown	2984	37202
Los Angeles - Cloverdale/Cochran	5400	37106
Los Angeles - Country Club Park	4957	32713
Los Angeles - Crenshaw District	5430	39265
Los Angeles - Crestview	4028	35433
Los Angeles - Del Rey	8601	28731
Los Angeles - Downtown*	16380	59548
Los Angeles - Eagle Rock	13998	35358
Los Angeles - East Hollywood	9688	33080
Los Angeles - Echo Park	4551	31923
Los Angeles - El Sereno	17110	40925
Los Angeles - Elysian Park	1863	32616
Los Angeles - Elysian Valley	3613	35523
Los Angeles - Encino	15494	34300
Los Angeles - Exposition	1301	39116
Los Angeles - Exposition Park	18420	41009
Los Angeles - Faircrest Heights	1288	35778
Los Angeles - Figueroa Park Square	3842	44055
Los Angeles - Florence-Firestone	23077	48639
Los Angeles - Glassell Park	11140	35249
Los Angeles - Gramercy Place	4239	39381
Los Angeles - Granada Hills	21868	37580
Los Angeles - Green Meadows	10211	47482
Los Angeles - Hancock Park	4805	28200
Los Angeles - Harbor City	9565	32903
Los Angeles - Harbor Gateway	15937	36553
Los Angeles - Harbor Pines	656	27231
Los Angeles - Harvard Heights	6220	34488
Los Angeles - Harvard Park	18248	48103
Los Angeles - Highland Park	17441	36042
Los Angeles - Historic Filipinotown	5569	40151
Los Angeles - Hollywood #####