The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is set to align with the state and drop all existing Health Officer Orders connected to the COVID-19 pandemic at the end of the month.

On Monday, April 3, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) is set to lift their mask and covid-19 vaccine restrictions, with L.A. County following in their footsteps, according to officials.

“The County’s health order will end on March 31, terminating all existing Health Officer Orders,” said Anders Corey, the health deputy for Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger.

However, the County is currently analyzing if they will recommend maintaining a mask mandate in healthcare settings, but as of the publication of this article, the existing order is set to expire, Corey said.

“I’ve consistently supported aligning our county’s health orders with the state and my position remains unchanged,” Barger said. “When I presented the motion I co-authored to end the COVID-19 emergency, I expressed that these orders should expire with the state’s at the end of February. As the state continues to lift their COVID orders, I support maintaining alignment with their policies — including future masking requirements in healthcare settings. I believe we should defer to hospitals and healthcare providers to make the best decisions for their patients and workers.”

The new changes that are set to go into place include:

Masking in High-risk and Health Care Settings

Beginning April 3, masks are expected to be no longer required in indoor high-risk and healthcare settings. This includes health care, long-term care and correctional facilities as well as homeless, emergency and warming and cooling centers.

This change takes effect on Monday, April 3 to allow local health departments and individual health care facilities to develop and implement plans customized to their needs and local conditions to continue to protect Californians through the end of the winter virus season, CDPH officials said.

CDPH’s recommendations for the use of face masks for individuals remain unchanged.

Vaccine Requirements for Health Care Workers

Beginning April 3, with federal rules continuing to ensure that most healthcare workers remain vaccinated for COVID-19, the state will no longer require vaccination for healthcare workers including those in adult care, direct care, correctional facilities, and detention centers. This change takes effect on Monday, April 3 to allow local health departments and facilities to develop and implement plans customized to their needs and local conditions to continue to protect Californians through the end of the winter virus season.

Reduced Isolation Time After Positive COVID-19 Test

Beginning March 13, a COVID-19-positive person may end isolation after five days if they feel well, have improving symptoms and are fever-free for 24 hours, with less emphasis on testing negative.

This change aligns with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations and takes effect on Monday, March 13.

Disease Control and Prevention Order

The state public health officer order formerly known as Beyond the Blueprint is being updated to align with CDPH’s isolation and quarantine recommendations above and includes an updated definition for a confirmed COVID-19 case.

The updated order which will take effect March 13, provides prevention and mitigation strategies for slowing the spread of COVID-19 in homes, workplaces and communities.

Hospital Surge Order

On April 3, CDPH is set to rescind an order that required hospitals statewide to accept transfer patients from facilities with limited ICU capacity as needed.

ICU capacity has not been limited during recent COVID-19 surges after the broad use of vaccines and treatments.

Vaccine Data Collection

Also being rescinded on April 3 is an order that required providers to ask patients for their email addresses and/or mobile phone numbers when receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.

New legislation requires that California healthcare providers who administer vaccines to enter information about patients, including telephone numbers and race and ethnicity.

The CDPH reminds Californians that critical tools to fight COVID-19 remain available to everyone at low or no cost.

This includes access to COVID-19 vaccines, testing and treatment.

“We stand before Californians today with a humble message of thanks for taking the hard steps to help manage COVID-19, and with an ongoing commitment to be prepared for what comes next,” said CDPH Director and State Public Health Officer Dr. Tomás Aragón. “Our communities did a lot of the hard work by getting vaccinated and boosted, staying home and testing when sick, requesting treatments when positive, and masking to slow the spread. With these critical actions, and a lot of patience and persistence, we have now reached a point where we can update some of the COVID-19 guidance to continue to balance prevention and adapting to living with COVID-19.”

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