City Of Berkeley: City Health Officer Order To Require Certain Workers To Stay Up To Date With Boosters

Press release from City of Berkeley:

Wednesday, January 26, 2022

Berkeley, California (Wednesday, January 26, 2022) - A City of Berkeley Health Officer Order issued Wednesday will require employees of certain businesses to stay up to date on vaccination by getting boosters when eligible while also lowering the age of patrons required to have full vaccination to 5 years old.

The requirement to verify vaccination statuses of both employees and patrons focuses on indoor environments where airborne droplets or particles containing the virus spread easily because people:

• remove a face covering, such as to eat or drink in a restaurant, bar, or club
• breathe at more intense levels in a group, such as a gym, yoga studio or dance class
• gather together indoors in groups of 500 or more

The businesses only required to verify employees' "up to date" vaccination have greater risks of exposure to an unvaccinated or immune compromised population, such as a pharmacy, dentist's office, or childcare program.

A person is up to date on vaccination if:

• It's less than five months after the second of their two initial Pfizer (12+) or Moderna (18+) doses OR they have a third dose of any brand at least five months after their second Pfizer or Moderna dose
• It's less than two months after their one Johnson & Johnson (18+) dose OR they have a second dose of any brand at least two months after their initial J&J dose

By Feb. 7, certain businesses required to check full vaccination for those 5 and up

• Places serving food or drinks, such as restaurants, bars, clubs, theaters, and entertainment venues.
• Places where patrons do cardiovascular, aerobic, strength training, or other exercise involving elevated breathing, including gyms, recreation centers, fitness clubs, and strength training facilities
• Large indoor events of 500 people or more - except where tickets were sold before Jan. 27, 2022

Large indoor events

By Feb. 7, sites where employees must be boosted, when eligible

• Restaurants and other facilities where food or drink is served indoors
• Gyms, recreation facilities, yoga studios and other fitness establishments
• Indoor events of 500 people or more
• Adult care facilities
• Adult day programs
• Dental offices
• Pharmacies
• Home health care workers and those employing health care workers
• All public and private childcare facilities

What you can use to verify vaccination status

• A Vaccination Card issued by the CDC or a foreign governmental jurisdiction which includes the name of the person vaccinated, the type of vaccine provided, and the date(s) the dose or doses were administered;
• A photo or copy of a Vaccination Card either as a hardcopy or stored on a phone or electronic device;
• Documentation of vaccination from a healthcare provider;
• A personal digital COVID-19 vaccine record issued via myvaccinerecord.cdph.ca.gov or that of another state, local, or foreign government; or
• An authentic digital record that includes a QR code that when scanned by a SMART Health Card reader accurately displays to the reader client name, date of birth, vaccine dates and vaccine type.

Use all tools to fight the pandemic

Links:

• City of Berkeley Health Order Requiring Proof of Vaccination for Employees and Patrons of Certain Businesses
• Employers should encourage, use all tools available to have employees vaccinated
• Digital Vaccine Record (State of California)
• COVID-19 Outreach Library (signage for any venue requiring vaccinations)
• Local and State Restrictions (City of Berkeley)
• MyTurn.CA.GOV (State of California)
• Official Testing Sites: City of Berkeley, State of California
• Vaccination Appointments: City of Berkeley, State of California

This press release was produced by City of Berkeley. The views expressed here are the author’s own.