The U.S. COVID-19 Public Health Emergency will end on May 11, 2023, one week after the World Health Organization determined that COVID-19 is no longer a Public Health Emergency of International Concern....more
On Friday, January 13, 2022, a New York State Supreme Court Judge for Onondaga County struck down the New York State Department of Health regulation mandating certain healthcare professionals be “fully vaccinated” against...more
Beginning November 1, 2022, New York City private sector employees will no longer be subject to the COVID-19 vaccination mandate.
Mayor Eric Adams announced on September 20, 2022, that private employers in New York City...more
In an effort to streamline its guidance and reflect the current state of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued updated guidance that focuses on individual responsibility and is...more
As the pandemic continues to evolve, so does the EEOC’s guidance. On July 12, 2022, the EEOC once again updated its COVID-19 guidance: What You Should Know About COVID-19 and the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, and Other EEO...more
7/21/2022
/ ADEA ,
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Documentation ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Guidance Update ,
High Risk Covid Employees ,
Rehabilitation Act ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing
In a 6-3 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court has granted a temporary stay of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS).
The Court described the standard as a “blunt...more
1/14/2022
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Mandates ,
General Duty Clause ,
Lack of Authority ,
National Federation of Independent Business v Department of Labor and OSHA ,
OSHA ,
SCOTUS ,
Stays ,
Title VII ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing
The CDC announced today that it is updating its quarantine and isolation guidance. For people with COVID-19, the isolation period was reduced from ten days to five days as long as the individual has no symptoms or their...more
More than six months after the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) promulgated an Emergency Temporary Standard for healthcare employers (Healthcare ETS), OSHA announced its intentions to propose an infectious...more
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has lifted the Fifth Circuit’s stay of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) on COVID-19 vaccination and testing for...more
Following her announcement of a broad COVID-19 mask mandate for New York businesses effective December 13, 2021, Health Commissioner Mary Bassett has published an order and frequently asked questions clarifying certain...more
Employers continue to have to keep up with changing COVID-19 standards nationwide. New York is one example.
On a state-wide level, on December 10, 2021, Governor Kathy Hochul announced a mandate that requires masks to be...more
Less than two months after receiving direction from President Joe Biden, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) covering employers with at least 100...more
11/4/2021
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Covered Employees ,
Documentation ,
Executive Orders ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Employees ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Joe Biden ,
Masks ,
OSHA ,
Paid Time Off (PTO) ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Retaliation ,
Subcontractors ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Whistleblower Protection Policies
In its latest guidance, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone — including individuals fully vaccinated with one of the available COVID-19 vaccines — wear masks in indoor public settings...more
The CDC is now recommending that everyone – including fully vaccinated individuals – wear masks in indoor public settings in all areas with substantial and high transmission of the COVID-19 virus and get tested following...more
Hundreds of colleges and universities across the country, both public and private, have issued policies requiring students be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 prior to the start of the fall semester. In the first court case...more
After releasing an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) for COVID-19 for healthcare employers on June 10, 2021, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has announced that it is publishing the ETS in the Federal...more
With 70 percent of adult New Yorkers having received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, as of June 15, 2021, New York lifted restrictions imposed on most industries under the NY Forward and COVID-19 Safety Plan rules that...more
On June 8, 2021, New York State updated the NY Forward Guidance for several industries, including office-based and food services employers, with changes that many people feel are overdue...more
In its latest update to informal guidance on COVID-19 vaccination issues, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) addressed vaccination mandates, incentives, and confidentiality, among other topics...more
6/1/2021
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Confidential Information ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) ,
Employer Mandates ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Incentives ,
New Guidance ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Religious Exemption ,
Remote Working ,
Title VII ,
Vaccinations
In a surprise move today, CDC followed the lead of the various states that have lifted their masking and physical distancing recommendations. However, CDC’s new recommendations come with a twist. The CDC’s recommendations...more
The Biden administration has called for all people at least 18 to be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine by April 19, 2021. Most states have already done so.
A BenefitsPro article cites a 2017 survey from the Society for...more
4/14/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Data Privacy ,
Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Incentives ,
Labor Relations ,
Liability ,
Local Health Departments (LHDs) ,
National Institute of Health (NIH) ,
Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREP Act) ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Vaccinations
Effective immediately, New York State employers must provide employees with up to four hours of paid time off per COVID-19 vaccination. The new law sunsets on December 31, 2022...more
3/15/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Health and Safety ,
New York ,
Paid Leave ,
Popular ,
State and Local Government ,
Vaccinations ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (the “Plan”). The Plan is the most recent stimulus bill enacted to address the COVID-19 pandemic and it comes almost one year to the date the...more
3/15/2021
/ American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ,
Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Joe Biden ,
Paid Family Leave Law ,
Paid Leave ,
Paid Sick Leave ,
Popular ,
Quarantine ,
Tax Credits ,
Vaccinations