Confirmed exposures to -COVID-19 on the Delta College campus are now being reported in alignment with California Assembly Bill 685.
Cases reported on campus so farin the Science and Math Building, Holt, DeRicco, Danner Hall and the Goleman Library. Delta College has disclosed exposures since Nov. 4.
“This is now a state requirement that employers notify all employees of confirmed cases at their place of work. The intent of the legislation is to make sure we are tracking workplace exposure and to help keep employees safe on the job, which is obviously more important than ever,” said Director of Marketing and Outreach Alex Breitler.
Delta has been committed to maintaining a healthy environment for students and staff by implementing various measures designated by the state, he said.
“The state did not want employees to be fearful of their safety because they are unaware of where cases may be occurring. So, it’s really important that we report cases as quickly
as possible,” Breitler said.
Although Delta is only required to share information regarding an exposure to employees they are taking it a step further and have decided to share this information with students as well.
“We want to be as transparent as possible with the entire college community. Hopefully these reports are useful to students,” said Breitler.
In addition to the AB 685 reporting dashboard available online, Delta also has the Contact Tracing badges which act as individual notifications in the case of direct contact.
However, there were no serious implications of these exposures, the availability of exposure data is fundamental because it is one of the most effective tools for dealing with the spread of COVID-19.
An article published in The National Law review analyzed the benefits of how AB 685 will provide an increase in environment safety as well as provide precise data that may not be available otherwise.
Despite having the added benefit of providing data, this system was designed for those working in the midst of the pandemic.
The law “required employers to notify all employees who were at a worksite of all potential exposures to COVID-19 and notify the local public health agency of outbreaks,” according to a fact sheet from the California Department of Industrial Relations.
Measures such as these have been put in place to minimize the spread of COVID-19 as well as provide accurate data for the state of California to track the spread.
Although the bill is a fairly new addition in terms of precautionary measures as it was signed this year in early January 2021, it is scheduled to be repealed exactly two years to the date – January 1, 2023 – according to the bill’s text.