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September 24, 2020

New California COVID-19 Worker Protections

California’s governor signed two bills on September 17 addressing COVID-19 issues for workers. The first, SB-1159, expands access to workers compensation for health care workers and first responders, who are now presumed for purposes of workers’ compensation benefits to have contracted COVID-19 due to their work, and for other workers, who are granted a rebuttable presumption that they contracted COVID-19 at the workplace if they test positive for COVID-19 following a workplace outbreak.  The second bill, AB-685, requires employers to report COVID-19 outbreaks to local public health departments and creates a one-day notification requirement for employers to notify employees who may have been exposed to COVID-19.