Virginia has revoked what was supposed to be the state’s permanent COVID-19 workplace safety rule.
The state was the first to adopt a permanent COVID-19 rule when the Department of Labor and Industry’s Safety and Health Codes Board approved it Jan. 13, 2021.
The board revoked the rule March 21, 2022.
Governor Glenn Youngkin praised the board’s decision to remove “unnecessary COVID-19 workplace restrictions.”
These board members were appointed by former governor Ralph Northam, Youngkin pointed out, who evaluated COVID-19 cases in Virginia and “asserted that the COVID-19 virus no longer poses a grave danger to Virginians.”
Before it was revoked, Virginia’s COVID-19 rule required:
- all public-facing employees to wear masks
- ready access to hand sanitizer
- regular cleaning of common work spaces
- training on COVID-19 safety, and
- development of infectious disease and preparedness response plans.
