The new staff shortage guidance is for healthcare facilities that may be experiencing staffing shortages due to COVID-19. Maintaining appropriate staffing in healthcare facilities is essential to providing a safe work environment for healthcare personnel (HCP) and safe patient care. As the COVID-19 pandemic progresses, staffing shortages will likely occur due to HCP exposures, illness, or need to care for family members at home. Updates to this guidance include: As contingency strategies options to allow: Asymptomatic HCP who have had a higher-risk exposure to SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) but are not known to be infected to shorten their duration of work restriction as described in Options to Reduce Quarantine for Contacts of Persons with SARS-CoV-2 Infection Using Symptom Monitoring and Diagnostic Testing; and Asymptomatic fully vaccinated HCP who have had a higher-risk exposure to SARS-CoV-2 but are not known to be infected to continue to work onsite throughout their 14-day post-exposure period.

Questions?

Contact:

Laura Hofmann, MSN, RN – Director of Clinical and Nursing Facility Regulatory Services
c: 425-231-4804