COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
COVID-19: Guidance and materials for businesses
City of Berkeley Health Officer Orders mandate that businesses implement specific COVID-19 safety measures and post certain signage at all entrances.
All the documentation you need to comply is available on this page.
Signage & protocol requirements
Site-Specific Protection Plan
All businesses must complete a Site-Specific Protection Plan that documents the steps they are taking to protect employees and customers. The City has created guidance and a fillable template to help you complete your plan.
You are not required to submit your plan to the City for review and approval. However, it is important to complete it before reopening. If an employee tests positive for COVID-19, you will be asked to provide your site-specific protection plan to Berkeley Public Health.
Face covering signs
Customers and workers are generally required to cover their nose and mouth while inside or waiting in line to enter a business. Businesses are also required to post signs notifying customers of the face covering requirement at all entrances.
Social distancing signs
Businesses must also post signs at entrances reminding customers and workers to practice healthy behaviors that slow the spread of COVID-19, including washing their hands regularly, staying 6 feet apart, and avoiding unneeded physical contact.
Guidance for businesses currently allowed to operate
Under current rules, businesses may operate in Berkeley if they fall into one of these categories: essential businesses, outdoor businesses, or "additional businesses" named in the June 18 shelter in place update.
This includes retail stores for indoor shopping, curbside pickup, or delivery, limited services that do not require close customer contact (housecleaning, dog walking, pet grooming, clothing alterations) as well as all manufacturing, logistics, and warehouse businesses that are permitted under the statewide order.
All businesses operating in Berkeley must implement COVID-19 safety measures identified in guidance from the California Department of Public Health and California Department of Industrial Relations:
Resources to prepare for reopening
Berkeley's Health Officer is closely monitoring COVID-19 indicator data to assess our city's readiness to move into further stages of re-opening. Our regularly updated reopening roadmap provides a preview of what restrictions are expected to be relaxed in future stages, based on current COVID-19 data.
While the timing of updates to local restrictions will be determined by local data, the order in which businesses are allowed to resume will generally follow the statewide resilience roadmap.
Guidance for other sectors
Businesses not currently allowed to operate should start preparing for eventual reopening now. Start by reviewing guidance from the State of California and CDC:
Last updated July 9, 2020