A group of nurses gathered in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday to speak out against the new guideline in the state of California that allows coronavirus-positive health workers to return to work amid the staff shortage plaguing hospitals.
The California Department of Public Health issued a new one guidance at the weekend, allowing healthcare professionals who test positive for or are exposed to the virus to return to work immediately – without isolation and without testing – if they are asymptomatic and wear N95 masks.
State officials said the changes, which were in place until 1 February, were made “due to the critical staff shortages currently being experienced across the healthcare continuum due to the increase in the Omicron variant.”
But nurses who took part in Tuesday’s protest said the new guidelines put patients and workers at risk.
Ellina Abovian reports to KTLA 5 News on January 11, 2021.
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