California businesses must warn workers of any potential exposure to the coronavirus and must pay their employees workers compensation benefits if they get sick with the disease under two laws that Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Thursday.
Newsom, a Democrat, signed the laws over the objections of business groups, who have said they are “unworkable.”
One of the laws makes people who have the coronavirus immediately eligible for workers compensation benefits. It applies to all workers in California but treats first responders and health care workers differently than other employees.
Police officers, firefighters, and health care workers – including janitors who are in contact with COVID-19 patients – are eligible if they get infected while on the job.
All other workers are eligible only if their workplaces experience an outbreak. For companies with between five and 100 employees, the law defines an outbreak as four or more infected workers who work at the same location within a two-week period.
For companies with more than 100 employees, outbreaks are defined as at least 4% of workers working in the same location being infected during a two-week period.
The rules for first responders and health care workers are permanent. The rules for everyone else expire on Jan. 1, 2023.
The second law that Newsom signed mandates that companies tell employees if they have been exposed to someone who has either tested positive, been ordered to isolate or died because of the virus. That law takes effect Jan. 1.
