As of early 2025, most of California’s COVID-19-specific workplace safety requirements have officially expired. Measures such as mandatory testing policies, masking requirements, and specific outbreak protocols are no longer part of Cal/OSHA’s active regulatory framework.
However, one major requirement remains in place through early 2026: employers must continue to maintain COVID-19 case records. This includes documenting employee names, work locations, dates of infection, and other details required for workplace exposure logs. These records must be preserved for an additional two years.
Even though COVID-specific rules have sunset, employers still have obligations under the state’s broader Injury and Illness Prevention Program (IIPP). If COVID-19 or other airborne infectious diseases pose a potential hazard in the workplace, employers must evaluate the risk and implement reasonable protective measures.
Many businesses may scale back formal pandemic-era protocols, but they cannot ignore infectious disease hazards altogether. Workplaces with dense staffing, shared equipment, or high public contact should continue to consider ventilation improvements, cleaning practices, and employee notifications as part of a general safety program.
Bottom line: COVID-19 regulations have largely gone away, but the responsibility to maintain a safe workplace has not. Employers need to maintain outbreak logs and integrate infectious-disease planning into their overall safety systems.