On Thursday, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board (OSHSB) narrowly adopted, after initially rejecting, a new COVID-19 emergency temporary standard (ETS) for California workplaces. Recall, Cal/OSHA previously proposed a revised ETS but then delayed action on the standard after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and…
Read More »On Thursday, Governor Gavin Newsom visited a restaurant in San Francisco to announce a series of actions to provide restaurants, bars, breweries, and wineries with regulatory relief as the state prepares to reopen its economy with the retirement of the Blueprint for a Safer Economy on June 15. Specifically, the Newsom Administration extended relief measures…
Read More »This week, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. announced a National Month of Action to mobilize the country in reaching its goal of ensuring 70 percent of U.S. adults receive at least one COVID-19 vaccine by July 4. The National Month of Action will engage national organizations, local government leaders, community-based and faith-based organizations, businesses, employers,…
Read More »This week, the Biden-Harris Administration announced a series of strategies to address the COVID-19 pandemic in countries throughout the world, including by donating U.S. vaccine supply, working with U.S. manufacturers to increase vaccine production for the rest of the world, and assisting more countries expand capacity to produce vaccines. Specifically, the Biden-Harris Administration announced its…
Read More »On Thursday, Governor Gavin Newsom announced the launch of “Vax for the Win,” a multifaceted vaccinate incentive program aimed at motivating residents to receive the COVID-19 vaccine as the state approaches the June 15 retirement of the Blueprint for a Safer Economy. Under the program, the following prizes will be available: $16.5 Million in Cash…
Read More »Today, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) made available its updated proposed emergency temporary standard (ETS) relative to COVID-19 precautions in workplace settings. Recall, Cal/OSHA last week announced it was delaying proposed action on its ETS proposal that would have allowed individuals to return to workplaces without physical distancing or face coverings…
Read More »This week, the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) and the Network for Public Health Law (NPHL) issued a report entitled, “Proposed Limits on Public Health Authority: Dangerous for Public Health.” The report details state-level efforts in the U.S. to roll back or severely limit the authority of public health agencies which…
Read More »On Thursday, the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) announced its 2021 Innovative Practice Award Winners. The award recognizes programs developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrating effective community partnerships and collaboration, adaptability and program resilience, and innovation. 33 local health departments received this recognition with eight Gold Awardees, five Silver…
Read More »On Wednesday, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. directed the U.S. Intelligence Community to “redouble” their efforts to collect and analyze information on the origins of the COVID-19 virus. President Biden indicated the Intelligence Community earlier this month provided him with a preliminary report in which the Intelligence Community coalesced around two likely scenarios of how…
Read More »This week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), announced the issuance of $4.8 billion from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to support the HRSA COVID-19 Uninsured Program. The funding will allow the program to continue reimbursing health providers for testing uninsured individuals for…
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