On December 28, 2022, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law Senate Bill 9450, which added new enforcement provisions to the New York Health And Essential Rights Act’s (NY HERO Act) workplace safety committee...more
For more than two and a half years, employers across the country have navigated a nuanced web of legal requirements and guidance to safely operate during the global COVID-19 pandemic. Recent updates to the legal landscape at...more
On September 20, 2022, Mayor Eric Adams announced that New York City’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for private employers is ending. The City’s mandate for municipal employees, however, will remain in effect....more
After two and a half years of promoting protocols aimed at reducing transmission of coronavirus, on August 11, 2022, the CDC eliminated its recommendation that people quarantine after exposure to COVID-19 and updated other...more
On July 12, 2022, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) yet again updated its COVID-19 FAQs, revising earlier guidance about worksite screening through viral testing for COVID-19, modifying some Q&As, and...more
On February 9, 2022, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced that she would let the New York mask mandate lapse on its Thursday, February 10, 2022 expiration date. The Governor’s lifting of the statewide rule, which required...more
In the United States, the federal government has faced challenges in imposing vaccination mandates for large private employers, federal contractors, and certain health care employees. Because of that, choices around...more
2/8/2022
/ Complaint Procedures ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Covered Entities ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Employment Policies ,
Exemptions ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
The New York State Acting Commissioner of Health has extended the designation of COVID-19 as a highly contagious communicable disease that presents a serious risk of harm to public health under the NY HERO Act until February...more
As explained in greater detail by our colleague Stuart M. Gerson, the Supreme Court of the United States handed down two major, and quickly decided, rulings on January 13, 2022. After hearing oral arguments only six days...more
On December 22, 2021, the New York State Department of Labor (NY DOL) issued the long-awaited proposed rule (Proposed Rule) regarding the workplace safety committees that are required by the New York HERO Act (HERO Act)....more
On December 27, 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced an update to its isolation and quarantine guidance. Although the CDC’s update shortens both the isolation and quarantine periods, as...more
New York City’s private employer vaccine mandate became effective Monday. December 27, 2021 and, the City has updated its FAQs document and the Accommodations Guidance document (“Guidance”)....more
On December 17, 2021, a divided three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit lifted the nationwide injunction against the COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) issued by...more
12/21/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Health and Safety ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
Infectious Diseases ,
OSHA ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
On December 15, 2021, New York City followed up on the recently announced vaccine mandate for private employers by releasing further details, including several guidance documents and mandatory signage. The New York City...more
The Commissioner of the New York Department of Health has extended the designation of COVID-19 as a highly contagious communicable disease that presents a serious risk of harm to public health under the NY HERO Act until...more
On Friday, November 12, 2021, a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued a strongly worded decision granting a motion to prevent the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) from...more
As we previously reported, effective November 5, 2021, the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) issued an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) requiring employers with 100 or more employees to ensure that covered...more
On November 4, 2021, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released the long-awaited COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) for employers with 100 or more employees. At the...more
On September 23, 2021, the New York State Department of Labor (“NYSDOL”) released an update to its general model airborne infectious disease exposure prevention plan (“model plan”) for employers’ use in complying with the NY...more
On September 6, 2021, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced that she has designated COVID-19 a serious public health risk under the NY HERO Act (“HERO Act”). As we have previously reported, the HERO Act, which was signed...more
This is Part II of a three-part series called, “The Future of Work.” The Three sessions of the series address many of the issues attendant to returning to the workplace. Panelists explore:
- the implications of mandatory...more
8/17/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Mandates ,
Employment Policies ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Remote Working ,
Return-to-Work Agreements ,
Vaccinations ,
Vaccine Passports ,
Webinars ,
Workplace Safety
This is Part II of a three-part series called, “The Future of Work.” The Three sessions of the series address many of the issues attendant to returning to the workplace. Panelists explore:
- the implications of mandatory...more
8/16/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Mandates ,
Employment Policies ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Remote Working ,
Retailers ,
Return-to-Work Agreements ,
Vaccinations ,
Vaccine Passports ,
Webinars ,
Workplace Safety
The clock is now running: New York employers have until August 5, 2021, to adopt workplace safety plans, in accordance with the NY HERO Act (“Act”). As we previously reported, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the Act into law on...more
7/12/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Governor Cuomo ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
Infectious Diseases ,
New York ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
Social Distancing ,
Workplace Safety
On June 15, 2021, New York State celebrated reaching 70 percent of its adult population having received at least one vaccination dose. As a result, the State lifted most of its New York Forward industry-specific COVID-19...more
At long last, on June 8, 2021, the New York State Department of Health (“DOH”) released an update to Interim Guidance previously issued on May 15, 2021, containing current recommendations for employers that operate in an...more
6/11/2021
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
New Guidance ,
New York ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Popular ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety