Pasadena Health Officer Rescinds Certain Local Orders, City Aligns with State on New COVID-19 Guidelines

Pasadena Health Officer Eric G. Handler rescinded certain health orders related to COVID-19 isolation, quarantine, and masking in public settings effective as of Monday at 12:01 a.m.

The rescission aligns the City of Pasadena with the following new guidance issued by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH):

• Masking – With current COVID-19 case and hospitalization levels, masking for the general public is based on individual preference. Vulnerable populations, including people who are elderly, immunocompromised, or have underlying health conditions, and those who have contact with them should consider masking in indoor public spaces.
• Isolation – Individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 should continue to isolate (stay home) for 5 days and may leave isolation after day 5, as long as they have been fever-free for 24 hours (without the use of fever-reducing medicines) and they either have no symptoms or their symptoms are mild and improving. A negative COVID-19 test is no longer required to leave isolation between days 6-10. PPHD strongly recommends that infected people test negative prior to leaving isolation between days 6-10.

Infected people should wear a well-fitting mask around others for a total of 10 days. People may now discontinue wearing a mask around others between days 6-10 if they have two sequential negative tests taken at least one day apart.

• Quarantine – It is strongly recommended but not required that a person who is a close contact to a person with a confirmed case of COVID-19 wear a well-fitting mask around others for a total of 10 days, especially in indoor settings or when near those who are at high risk for severe illness. It is recommended that close contacts test as soon as possible to determine infection status and then, if negative, test again within 3-5 days after the last known exposure.

The Pasadena Public Health Department (PPHD) will continue enhanced protective measures in healthcare settings.

PPHD will continue to assess the impact of COVID-19. Worksites, schools, and healthcare facilities are required to report COVID-19 case and cluster to PPHD. The reporting requirements are intended to help public health officials quickly identify sectors where there may be increased COVID-19 transmissions and take action to prevent unmitigated spread.

The City of Pasadena remains in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Low COVID-19 Community Level for the 8th consecutive week. This includes a 7-day case rate of 11.9 new cases per 100,000 people, a decrease from the week prior. The 7-day total for new COVID-19 hospital admissions per 100,000 people is currently 5.9, a small decrease from last week. And the 7-day average of the proportion of staffed inpatient beds occupied by COVID-19 patients is now 3.7%, down from the week prior.

Even with less stringent guidelines, Pasadena residents are strongly recommended to stay up to date on vaccines and boosters, test before gatherings, and get treatment and stay home when sick. The updated bivalent booster has been shown to significantly reduce hospitalizations and deaths when compared to individuals who had been vaccinated but had not received the updated booster. During the 30-day period ending February 21, people who were vaccinated against COVID-19, yet had not received the bivalent booster, were over 3 times less likely to be hospitalized compared to people who were unvaccinated and 1.5 times more likely to be hospitalized compared to those who had the updated booster as well.