As California struggles with record infections, hospitalizations and deaths, it’s hard to imagine that hospital industry executives, with the cooperation of state regulators, would come up with a plan to make conditions worse. Sadly, they have.

Pushed by the California Hospital Association, California’s Department of Public Health has granted hospitals the ability to obtain blanket, expedited waivers, granted presumptively, that force nurses to care for more patients in hospital emergency rooms, intensive care units and on several other floors.