PRESS RELEASE

City of Woodland

300 First Street

The following press release was issued by Yolo County. The City of Woodland is posting that same press release.

(Woodland, CA) – On December 2, Yolo County’s Public Health Officer Dr. Aimee Sisson issued a revised health order aimed at Long-Term Care Facilities (LTCFs) to operate in accordance with applicable state directives relating to facility access, patient visitation, non-essential resident movement, testing and reporting and other COVID-19 matters. The new health order, Order No. 2020-03, supersedes Order No. 2020-02 (issued May 8, 2020) and is built upon scientific evidence and current best practices to prevent the spread of COVID-19 at LTCFs and protect vulnerable residents from the avoidable risk of serious illness or death from COVID-19. 

Today’s updated Order is based upon the following updated guidance from the state: All Facilities Letter (AFL) 20-22.5, 20-52, 20-53.3, 20-75, and 20-86.1; Provider Information Notice (PIN) 20-04-ASC, 20-23-ASC, 20-38-ASC, and 20-42-ASC; and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Memorandum QSO-20-39-NH. Additionally, effective December 15, 2020, each LTCF listed in the Order must implement screening testing of all staff for COVID-19 two times per week. Staff previously diagnosed with COVID-19 who remain asymptomatic after recovery are exempt from testing for 90 days after their initial COVID-19 infection. Staff who are not employed by the Facility but work within the Facility regularly must also be tested twice weekly for COVID-19 by either the Facility or their employer.

The updated Order does not modify or affect the implementation of existing, generally applicable County Health Officer orders relating to face coverings, physical distancing and business and activity restrictions necessary to align the County with its current tier assignment in the State’s Blueprint. 

Furthermore, Healthy Davis Together (HDT) is working with Yolo County to explore the feasibility of providing additional COVID-19 tests to LTCF employees across the county. HDT staff, and its medical director, Dr. Sheri Belafsky, are planning a pilot run of this program in Davis. If successful, HDT and the County will expand this program to additional LTCFs within the county. Yolo County is already providing free COVID-19 testing to LTCFs as needed. Additionally, HDT is exploring the possibility of utilizing a mobile sample collection system which would allow facility staff to be tested during work. These tests, developed at the Genome Center at UC Davis, would build upon the large-scale saliva testing system already implemented in Davis for UC Davis students and staff and those who live and work in Davis.

For more information about Yolo County’s Roadmap to Recovery, visit: www.yolocounty.org/coronavirus-roadmap. Residents can call Yolo 2-1-1 for resource information.