The nation’s federal health authorities marked the next chapter of the pandemic yesterday by significantly loosening many COVID-19 recommendations – including dropping the “six-foot” social distancing rule – thereby...more
8/12/2022
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Contact Tracing ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
New Guidance ,
OSHA ,
Social Distancing ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
The Supreme Court blocked OSHA from enforcing the vaccine mandate-or-test ETS and the agency responded Tuesday by shelving the emergency rule altogether. In some ways, these two developments mean that the pathway for...more
The nation’s highest Court has announced it will step in and rule whether the Biden administration’s aggressive workplace vaccine strategy – including a mandate-or-test rule for larger employers and a strict mandate for...more
In one of the more shocking developments in a year full of surprises, a federal appeals court breathed new life into the Biden administration’s mandate-or-test emergency vaccine rule with a stunning Friday afternoon decision....more
Federal workplace safety officials just released the mandate-or-test workplace vaccine emergency rule, and employers are sure to have questions. The Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) developed by the Occupational Safety and...more
11/5/2021
/ Best Practices ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Covered Employer ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Employment Policies ,
Federal Contractors ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Joint Employers ,
OSHA ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Religious Accommodation ,
Remote Working ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Unions ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Illness and Injury Reporting ,
Workplace Safety
With many current COVID-19 safety protocols dependent on vaccination status, verification and vaccine mandates continue to raise unique confidentiality and privacy considerations for employers. Here are some important points...more
When the Biden administration announced on September 9 that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) would be issuing a rule requiring employers to ensure its workers are vaccinated against COVID-19 or...more
In arguably the most far-reaching move of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Biden administration announced Thursday that federal workplace safety officials will soon issue a rule that will require all employers with 100 or more...more
In response to the surge of delta variant cases across the country, federal workplace safety officials just issued updated guidance to help employers and workers identify current COVID-19 risks for unvaccinated or otherwise...more
8/16/2021
/ Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Training ,
Employment Policies ,
Health and Safety ,
High Risk Covid Employees ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
New Guidance ,
OSHA ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Sick Employees ,
Social Distancing ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Hazards ,
Workplace Illness and Injury Reporting ,
Workplace Safety
Although the COVID-19 vaccines are expected to receive full FDA approval – perhaps as soon as later this month – an increasing number of businesses are not waiting for full authorization and are pressing forward to require...more
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced yesterday that the agency now recommends that people in areas with “substantial” and “high” COVID-19 transmission should wear masks indoors, regardless of...more
7/28/2021
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employment Policies ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
New Guidance ,
OSHA ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
On the same day the Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued the long-anticipated Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) applicable to healthcare employers, the agency also issued updated Guidance on Mitigating and...more
6/14/2021
/ Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employment Policies ,
Health and Safety ,
High Risk Covid Employees ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
New Guidance ,
OSHA ,
Paid Time Off (PTO) ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Sick Employees ,
Social Distancing ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Hazards ,
Workplace Illness and Injury Reporting ,
Workplace Safety
The EEOC kicked off the unofficial start of summer with a bang by clearing the way for employers to offer their employees incentives to get the COVID-19 vaccine in new guidance released on the eve of the Memorial Day weekend....more
6/1/2021
/ Confidential Information ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Incentive Plans ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Family Members ,
Gifts ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
New Guidance ,
Paid Time Off (PTO) ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Religious Accommodation ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
The announcement yesterday from the CDC that fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear a mask or physically distance in any non-healthcare setting was a welcome relief for all Americans and a hopeful sign that we have...more
Heeding calls from a consortium of over 40 business groups, the EEOC announced yesterday that it would soon provide guidance to employers across the country on workplace incentives and the COVID-19 vaccine. Noting that...more
4/16/2021
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Incentive Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Title VII ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
As colleges, universities, and other institutions of higher education grapple with how best to return to campus with some sense of pre-pandemic “normalcy” for the 2021-2022 academic year, the issue of whether to require...more
After several weeks of tense negotiations and legislative twists and turns, President Biden’s latest COVID-19 stimulus package – the American Rescue Plan – has been passed by Congress and will become law once the president...more
3/10/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Benefits ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Financial Stimulus ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Minimum Wage ,
Multiemployer Plan ,
Pensions ,
Popular ,
Relief Measures ,
Small Business ,
Tax Credits ,
Unemployment Benefits ,
Unions ,
Vaccinations ,
Wage and Hour
In the early morning hours of Saturday, February 27, the U.S. House of Representatives passed President Biden’s $1.9 trillion latest COVID-19 stimulus bill, containing a slew of employment-related initiatives that could have...more
3/1/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
COBRA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Benefits ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Financial Stimulus ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Minimum Wage ,
Multiemployer Plan ,
Pensions ,
Popular ,
Relief Measures ,
Small Business ,
Tax Credits ,
Unemployment Benefits ,
Unions ,
Vaccinations ,
Wage and Hour
With over 40 million Americans having received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, Dr. Anthony Fauci recently declared that he expects the availability of vaccinations to significantly increase – predicting an “open...more
The Food and Drug Administration has now approved two different mRNA COVID-19 vaccines (Moderna and Pfizer) under the FDA’s Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to be distributed in the U.S. for use in persons 18 years of age...more
President-elect Biden has unveiled an ambitious legislative package that would serve to not only provide a third wave of economic stimulus relief to address the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic but also transform the American...more
1/21/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employment Policies ,
Financial Stimulus ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Minimum Wage ,
Paid Leave ,
Relief Measures ,
Small Business ,
Tax Credits ,
Unemployment Insurance ,
Vaccinations ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
Employers now have clarification that they will be able mandate the COVID-19 vaccine among their workers in certain circumstances without running afoul of key federal anti-discrimination laws, according to updated guidance...more
12/17/2020
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Interactive Process ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Religious Accommodation ,
Title VII ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety