State Amends Public Health Officer Order on Health Facility Visitors

On Thursday, California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Director and State Public Health Officer Dr. Tomás Aragón issued a public health order amending his August 5 order that requires visitors to general acute care hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and intermediate care facilities, when making indoor visits, to verify their full vaccination status or provide proof of a negative SARS-CoV-2 test.

Under Thursday’s order, Dr. Aragón extended the vaccine verification or testing requirements to apply to all visitors of adult and senior care (ASC) residential facilities licensed by the California Department of Social Services (CDSS), effective September 9, 2021. The latest order also provides language for specific exemptions to visitor requirements and clarifies verification options for unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated visitors.

The full state public health officer order is available here. PIN 21-40-ASC from CDSS providing guidance to ASC facilities is available here.